The Washington Commanders ruled out multiple starters for Sunday’s Week 17 game against the San Francisco 49ers. Left tackle Charles Leno Jr., center Tyler Larsen, safety Percy Butler, cornerbacks Kendall Fuller and Benjamin St-Juste will all miss Sunday’s game.
On Saturday, Washington ended the seasons of Leno, Larsen and Butler by placing all three players on injured reserve. That means Cornelius Lucas will start at left tackle, Nick Gates at center and Terrell Burgess will likely replace Butler. With so many injuries in the secondary for the game against San Francisco, the Commanders elevated two defensive backs from the practice squad for Week 17.
Safety Sean Chandler and cornerback Nick Whiteside II will provide depth behind Quan Martin, Emmanuel Forbes, Kam Curl, Burgess and Tariq Castro-Fields. Castro-Fields has yet to play a defensive snap this season.
Roster moves:
– Placed S Percy Butler, C Tyler Larsen and T Charles Leno Jr. on the Reserve/Injured List
– Signed LS Tucker Addington, T Alex Akingbulu and QB Jake Fromm from the practice squad
– Elevated S Sean Chandler and CB Nick Whiteside II from the practice squad pic.twitter.com/LrcoKTju7r— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) December 30, 2023
The Commanders also promoted long-snapper Tucker Addington, which was the plan when they signed him after releasing Camaron Cheeseman. And with the uncertainty surrounding quarterback Jacoby Brissett, Jake Fromm will be active for the first time this season.
In another move, offensive tackle Alex Akingbulu was signed from the practice squad to give Washington depth in Leno’s absence.
The 49ers are one of the NFL’s best teams, so things could get ugly in Landover on Sunday.