The Washington Commanders breathed a sigh of relief Tuesday morning when the MRI on star wide receiver Terry McLaurin’s right big toe showed no significant damage. McLaurin was injured late in the second quarter of Washington’s Monday night preseason game against the Ravens.
The Commanders are optimistic that McLaurin can suit up in Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals. However, the Commanders are taking a cautious approach with their star wide receiver.
“We’ll continue to just monitor that, continue the rehab and the treatments and stuff,” head coach Ron Rivera said Wednesday. “We’re gonna keep him off his feet for a couple more days and then start getting him ready once we get into next week.”
McLaurin is the type of player who doesn’t need a ton of practice reps. Sure, he’d tell you otherwise, but he could miss practice and still play in Week 1.
What if McLaurin isn’t ready for Week 1? Or what if he’s not 100%?
Dr. Jess Flynn, a renowned sports medicine doctor and contributor to The 33rd Team, weighed in on McLaurin’s injury and said she thinks it’s “unlikely” McLaurin will play in Week 1 or, if he does, will not be 100%.
“Terry McLaurin is dealing with a turf toe injury on his right foot,” Flynn said. “A turf toe injury basically means the tissue underneath the big toe gets torn to some degree. And there really are really three degrees of an injury to the big toe. And they do heal; most of them do heal, less than 2% end up needing to have surgery, but it can be painful for a long time. And most importantly, for a wide receiver, it can really limit the ability to accelerate, to change direction, to push off and decelerate. And obviously, all of that stuff is really important to get separation.”
What kind of timeline does Flynn expect for McLaurin?
“So for him, judging by the video, it looks like quite a significant injury to that plantar plate that gets injured in turf toe injuries,” Flynn said. “So I would judge it as being at least a moderate injury, and those tend to take some time to heal. I do not expect Terry McLaurin to be ready for Week 1, and even if he is available to play, I would not expect he’ll be anywhere near 100%. These are really hard to judge; they can take from anywhere to a couple of weeks to improve, to 6-8 weeks to improve.”
The #Commanders are hoping Terry McLaurin won't miss any time with his toe injury, but @DocFlynnNFL says the recovery timetable can be stubborn
Hear why she doesn't expect McLaurin to be at 100% by Week 1
— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) August 23, 2023
The Commanders host the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1. Many project the Cardinals to be the NFL’s worst team in 2023. Regardless, Washington does not want to begin the regular season without its best offensive player.