Commanders Place WR Noah Brown On IR
Noah Brown‘s injury-marred season has come to an end. The veteran receiver has once again landed on injured reserve, the Commanders announced on Tuesday. 
Brown managed to play in Week 15, but that represented just his fourth appearance of the season. It would also prove to be his last. The move back to IR ensures at least a four-week absence. Having already been eliminated from the playoffs, the Commanders’ three remaining regular season games will be the last of their 2025 campaign.
[RELATED: Commanders Shut Down Jayden Daniels]
In his second season with the Commanders, Brown started the first two weeks of the season, drawing a healthy seven targets but only reeling in three catches for 36 yards. A groin injury would sideline him for the next 11 weeks. Injuries are nothing new for Brown, who hasn’t appeared in every game of a single season since 2020. Even that full campaign came on the heels of his 2018 season, in which he missed the first half of the year, and his 2019 season, in which he sat the entire year on the reserve/physically unable to perform list due to multiple knee surgeries.
This hasn’t only been a Brown problem, though. Injuries have been so rampant in Washington that, at one point, the team fielded a starting lineup that featured veteran Chris Moore and fourth-round rookie Jaylin Lane at wideout with Luke McCaffrey and Robbie Chosen coming off the bench. While stars Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel eventually returned, McCaffrey found his way to IR, where he would join running back Austin Ekeler and eventually be joined by tight end Zach Ertz. To really drive the point home, the team shut down starting quarterback Jayden Daniels today with three games left in the season as he recovers from an elbow dislocation on his non-throwing arm.
To fill Browns’ spot on the 53-man roster, the Commanders signed Moore back from the practice squad. Moore was initially signed off the practice squad to fill Ekeler’s spot on the active roster following his season-ending injury. Moore was waived to make room when Brown was activated just 10 days ago, but he’ll make a quick return to the 53-man roster.
Ely Allen contributed to this post.
Commanders Activate Noah Brown From IR
The Commanders continue to return to health on the offensive side of the ball. Noah Brown will be back in the lineup for Week 14.
The veteran receiver was activated from injured reserve on Saturday, per a team announcement. Brown has not been a full participant in practice this week, but head coach Dan Quinn predicted yesterday that he would be able to play against the Vikings. Today’s news ensures that will be the case.
Terry McLaurin was able to play in Week 13, and Jayden Daniels will make his return tomorrow. That will give the Commanders their highly productive QB-WR tandem late in the season, albeit far too late for a second straight playoff berth to be possible. Brown will look to resume his complementary role in the passing game upon returning to action.
The 29-year-old’s practice window was opened early last week, so Washington could have waited to activate him until after tomorrow’s game. Instead, Brown will be available for the first time since September. In 2024 – his debut season in the nation’s capital – the former Cowboy and Texan posted 453 yards and one touchdown on 35 catches. Matching that production will not be possible this year, but as a pending free agent Brown managing to serve a role of some kind down the stretch will be key in establishing his value.
In a corresponding move, the Commanders have waived fellow receiver Chris Moore. In 11 games this season, the veteran has logged a 55% snap share thanks to the absences of McLaurin, Brown and others. Moore will now hit the waiver wire and become a free agent in the event he clears.
Commanders QB Jayden Daniels To Return In Week 14
Jayden Daniels has continued to make progress in his recovery from a dislocated left elbow. Despite the Commanders finding themselves out of playoff contention, their starting quarterback will return to action this week. 
Daniels has been able to practice this week, logging a limited session on Wednesday and a full one yesterday. The reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year was recently cleared for full contact, so it comes as no surprise he will be in place against the Vikings on Sunday. This will mark Daniels’ first game action since Week 9.
Questions were raised in the wake of that blowout loss about why head coach Dan Quinn kept Daniels and other starters on the field as long as he did. Since then, the Commanders have continued what is now a seven-game losing streak. Marcus Mariota has generally played well as a fill-in QB starter, but Daniels’ return will certainly be welcomed by all involved.
Washington’s offense has been beset by injuries through much of the 2025 campaign. Ending things on a high note would mark a positive for a team which has fallen well short of its performance from last year. Daniels will look to remain on the field for the closing weeks of the campaign and in doing so resume his strong connection with wideout Terry McLaurin. The latter returned to action during Monday night’s overtime loss to the Broncos, posting 96 yards and one touchdown along the way. Finishing the year with Daniels under center will help McLaurin’s chances of maintaining that production.
Daniels was never placed on injured reserve, but discussions did take place between team and player about shutting him down for the remainder of the campaign. Nevertheless, the 24-year-old is set to return to action for a Washington team which currently sits at 3-9 on the year.
In other injury news, Quinn said (via Tashan Reed of the Washington Post) that receiver Noah Brown and linebacker Bobby Wagner are trending toward playing this week as well. Both players have missed practice time in recent days, but their availability will be key. Brown remains on IR at this point, so having him in the lineup for Sunday will require an activation in his case either today or tomorrow.
Commanders WR Terry McLaurin To Return In Week 13; Latest On QB Jayden Daniels
NOVEMBER 30: Both Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network (video link) and ESPN’s Adam Schefter note that Daniels has not been cleared for contact yet and is officially out for Week 13. While Daniels could suit up in Week 14 and has expressed his desire to do so (per Schefter), it remains unclear 1) whether he will be medically cleared; and 2) if the team will believe it is worth the risk to put him back on the field for the stretch run of a lost season.
NOVEMBER 28: The Commanders are not in position to contend for a playoff spot in 2025, but they could be much closer to full strength on offense down the stretch. Receiver Terry McLaurin is in line to make his return on Sunday. 
“I plan to play as much as I can and as much as they’ll allow me to,” McLaurin said (via ESPN’s John Keim). “It’s really encouraging to hear from my teammates and coaches that they don’t feel like I’ve missed a step. I just have a confidence about myself.”
McLaurin was available for the first three games of the season before suffering a quad injury. His next game action came in Week 8, and he aggravated the issue. That has resulted in by far the most missed time in the seven-year veteran’s career while dealing a blow to Washington’s offense. The Commanders sit at 3-8 on the year ahead of a primetime matchup with the Broncos.
A return to the postseason in 2025 is not in store as a result, but Washington’s outlook for the coming weeks would receive a boost with McLaurin back in the fold. The two-time Pro Bowler topped 1,000 yards every year from 2020-24, something which helped land him a $29MM-per-year extension in August. Expectations for the McLaurin-Jayden Daniels connection will remain high for the foreseeable future, and that duo could be back on the field together shortly.
Daniels is set to miss Week 13, but his recovery from an elbow injury is ongoing. The 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year has returned to practice, setting up a potential return for next week. The possibility of shutting Daniels down for the remainder of the season has been raised, and ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler confirms team and player have engaged in “big-picture conversations” about returning this late in a lost season. For now, though, a return as early as Week 14 can be expected.
Both Daniels and receiver Noah Brown – who was designated for return from IR on Monday – were full participants in yesterday’s practice. As such, they could soon rejoin McLaurin in game action, something which would give the Commanders a rare instance of offensive availability in 2025.
Commanders Open Noah Brown’s Practice Window; Latest On Jayden Daniels
The Commanders remain shorthanded on offense but at least one member of the unit could return this week. Receiver Noah Brown has returned to practice, per a team announcement.
As a result, Brown’s 21-day activation window has been opened. He can be moved from injured reserve to the active roster at any point during that time. The ninth-year receiver has been limited to just two games in 2025 and has been on IR since mid-October.
A groin injury has left Brown unavailable for much of the current campaign, his second as a member of the Commanders. The former Cowboys seventh-rounder was among the players who followed Dan Quinn from Dallas to Washington last offseason, a move which allowed him to continue operating as a complementary pass-catching presence. Brown totaled 453 yards in 11 games during his first season in the nation’s capital.
A similar showing in 2025 would have come as little surprise, even with the Commanders adding a new receiver starter in the form of Deebo Samuel. Instead, Brown has been sidelined most of the year, making only three scoreless catches to date. The 29-year-old is a pending free agent, so any production down the stretch would be key in his case.
Coming off their bye week, the Commanders are 3-8 on the year. After a surprise run to the NFC title game in 2024, things have regressed to a large extent for Washington. Attention down the stretch will turn in large part to the health of quarterback Jayden Daniels. Last year’s Offensive Rookie of the Year is still dealing with the elbow injury he suffered late in the team’s blowout loss to the Seahawks.
Daniels’ non-throwing elbow was injured at that point, leading to Marcus Mariota taking over starting duties. The veteran is in line to make at least one more start for Washington. Quinn said (via The Athletic’s Nicki Jhabvala) Daniels is set to return to practice this week, but he noted he has not yet been cleared for contact. As a result, Mariota can be expected to handle QB1 duties in Week 13 against the Broncos.
Uncertainty has loomed over Daniels’ recovery timeline. Based on Quinn’s update, though, a return with some time to spare in the season will be a possibility. By the time Washington’s starting quarterback is in play to suit up, a better health situation at the WR spot could also be in store.
Commanders Place Noah Brown On IR
The Commanders have already gone most of the season without wide receiver Noah Brown, who has been dealing with a groin injury. Brown’s absence will extend for at least four more games, as the team placed him on IR on Wednesday. He’ll be eligible to return in Week 11.
Brown, who last played in a Week 2 loss to the Packers, has caught three of seven targets for 36 yards this season. The 29-year-old appeared to be making progress when he returned to practice last week, but head coach Dan Quinn said his injury “didn’t respond” (via Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic). Quinn added that Brown will not require surgery (via John Keim of ESPN.com).
Without Brown and fellow injured receiver Terry McLaurin (quad), the Commanders fell to 3-3 with a loss to the Bears in Week 6. Quinn said McLaurin will practice this week, meaning he could play against the division-rival Cowboys on Sunday.
With only two appearances from Brown and three from McLaurin this season, the Commanders and second-year quarterback Jayden Daniels have had to count on Luke McCaffrey, Chris Moore, and Jaylin Lane to step up as targets alongside Deebo Samuel and Zach Ertz. Despite the injuries, Washington’s offense still ranks seventh in the NFL in points per game and 12th in total yards.
Along with placing Brown on IR on Wednesday, the Commanders announced the signing of defensive end Drake Jackson and signed guard Julian Good-Jones to their practice squad. Good-Jones had been a free agent since the Commanders released him with an injury designation on Aug. 20. The 28-year-old made his lone regular-season appearance in the NFL with Washington in 2023.
NFC Injury Updates: Commanders, Lions, Mooney
The Commanders will head into a Monday night showdown against the Bears with a shorthanded receiving corps. Terry McLaurin (quad) and Noah Brown (groin) will miss the game, according to Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic.
This will be the third straight absence for McLaurin, which isn’t what the Commanders had in mind when they signed the two-time Pro Bowler to a three-year, $87MM extension in late August. The agreement came after a well-publicized standoff between the two sides. The 30-year-old has caught 10 of 17 targets for 149 yards and no touchdowns in three games this season.
Washington has gone even longer without Brown, who hasn’t played since a Week 2 loss to the Packers. After a 35-catch 2024, his first season with the Commanders, Brown has hauled in three of seven targets for 36 yards in two games this year.
First-year Commander and former 49er Deebo Samuel has served as the team’s top target in McLaurin’s absence. Luke McCaffrey, who’s behind Brown on the depth chart, pulled in a 50-yard reception in a win over the Chargers last week. While McCaffrey only has seven catches this year, he has averaged 20.9 yards per grab and scored a pair of TDs.
More NFC injury updates heading into Week 6:
- The Lions will face the Chiefs on Sunday without starting left tackle Taylor Decker. The 10th-year man will miss his second game in a row as a result of a shoulder injury. Worsening matters for the Lions, they’ve also ruled out backup tackle Giovanni Manu. After making his first career start in place of Decker last week, Manu is down with a knee injury. With Decker and Manu unavailable, Dan Skipper is expected to start at left tackle in Kansas City.
- The Falcons will go without receiver Darnell Mooney on Monday against the Bills, Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com reports. Mooney, who’s dealing with a hamstring injury, will miss his second game of the season. He missed a Week 1 loss to the Buccaneers after suffering a shoulder injury in late July. With 64 catches, 992 yards, and five touchdowns in his first season with the Falcons in 2024, the former Bear enjoyed one of the best years of his career. His production has dropped over three games this year, though, with Mooney having caught seven of 16 targets for 79 yards. No. 1 receiver Drake London, tight end Kyle Pitts, and running back Bijan Robinson are the only Falcons with double-digit receptions this season.
Commanders Rule Out Jayden Daniels For Week 4; QB Expected To Return In Week 5
SEPTEMBER 28: Daniels is expected to return for Washington’s Week 5 game against the Chargers, per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network (video link). Rapoport says Daniels’ workout on Saturday went well.
SEPTEMBER 27: ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler gave some updates on Daniels and McLaurin this morning. Fowler confirmed Reed’s report from yesterday that Daniels is pushing to play, but the medical and coaching staffs view his knee injury as a mobility issue. Per Fowler, if Daniels’ legs didn’t add so much to his game, the Commanders may be willing to stick him back there and force him to be a pocket passer for a few games until healthy. Instead, they’re opting to give him more time to heal his knee, so that he’ll be able to deliver a more complete product upon his return and avoid the disaster of further injury that the franchise has seen in the past.
While there’s a decent chance Daniels could return for Week 5, the question marks remain that week for McLaurin. While Fowler has been told that Fowler will not go on injured reserve, he’s still week-to-week without a clear timetable for a return.
SEPTEMBER 26: The Commanders ruled out star quarterback Jayden Daniels for their Week 4 matchup with the Falcons, per Tashan Reed of The Washington Post.
That decision will position Marcus Mariota to start for the second week in a row, this time facing his former team. He impressed against the Raiders last Sunday, completing 15 of his 21 passes for 207 yards and a touchdown. He also added 40 yards and a touchdown on the ground as he led Washington’s offense to 34 points.
Daniels was pushing to play this week, per Reed, telling reporters on Wednesday that he feels back to full strength after spraining his knee in Week 2. He was absent from Friday’s practice but participated in a limited capacity on Wednesday and Thursday. When asked about his activity level, he said that he did “enough to feel good if I play on Sunday.”
However, he admitted that his status would be “up to the doctors,” adding, “It’s not my decision.”
Despite concerns about Daniels’ propensity to take big hits as a runner, the 2024 first-round pick played through an October chest injury to start all 17 games as a rookie. Despite an apparent desire to do the same this year, the Commanders are taking a more cautious approach with their franchise quarterback.
Washington’s passing game will also be without multiple receivers on Sunday. As expected, Terry McLaurin was ruled out with a quad injury, and Noah Brown is likely to miss his second game in a row. The Commanders will need Luke McCaffrey, Chris Moore, and Jaylin Lane to step up alongside Deebo Samuel, who leads the team in receptions.
The Commanders did get some encouraging news for their offense on Friday with rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt returning to practice after missing the last two days. His availability would be crucial to a Commanders backfield that lost Austin Ekeler to a season-ending Achilles tear in Week 2.
McLaurin did not practice at all this week, while RB JCM returned to practice on Friday and would be crucial on Sunday to a Commanders backfield that lost Austin Ekeler to a season-ending Achilles tear in Week 2.
Commanders Sign OLB Preston Smith
After a visit on Tuesday, the Commanders have signed Preston Smith, per a team announcement, reuniting the veteran outside linebacker with the team that originally drafted him in 2015.
Smith, 32, has 70.5 career sacks and will bolster Washington’s edge rushing room after defensive end Deatrich Wise suffered a season-ending quad injury last week.
In a corresponding move, cornerback Jonathan Jones was placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury sustained in Week 2 against the Packers. He will be sidelined for at least four games, though the team has not provided a timeline for his return.
Smith began his NFL career in Washington as a second-round pick in 2015 and impressed with eight sacks and three forced fumbles in his rookie year. He played out his first contract with the franchise, totaling 24.5 sacks and 29 tackles for loss across 64 appearances (50 starts). Smith then hit free agency in 2019, signed with the Packers for $13MM per year, and took his game up a notch with 41.5 sacks and 40 tackles for loss across his next five seasons.
That period that brought a second Green Bay contract. However, Smith started to show signs of his age in 2024, registering just 2.5 sacks and two TFLs over his first nine games with a decreased snap share among a group of younger edge rushers.
Smith’s lack of comfort as 4-3 DE under new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley – compared to his steady production as a 3-4 OLB – also contributed to his statistical downturn and led Smith to request a trade. The Packers obliged, sending him to the Steelers in exchange for a seventh-round pick. Smith saw even less playing time in Pittsburgh and added two sacks and three TFLs to his season tally. He was released 
by the Steelers in January and drew some interest this offseason, though it wasn’t strong enough to result in a contract before the season.
Smith will now join an edge rushing group headlined by Von Miller with several other reliable but unspectacular players. Smith will turn 33 in November and didn’t participate in training camp or the preseason, so his snap count will have to be managed, certainly early on and potentially for the rest of the season. He’s put up at least four sacks in every year of his decade in the NFL, and a repeat effort in 2025 would be a solid outcome for the Commanders defense.
Washington’s injury woes don’t stop with Jones and Wise, either. They’ve spread to the offense, too; tight end John Bates and wide receiver Noah Brown are both considered long shots to play against the Raiders in Week 3, per a pair of reports from JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington.
Commanders WR Noah Brown Carted Off Field At Minicamp
Commanders wide receiver Noah Brown was carted off the field during the team’s mandatory minicamp last Wednesday, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post.
Head coach Dan Quinn had little to say about Brown’s injury the next day, only confirming that the seven-year veteran was getting an MRI to assess an unspecified body part, according to Jhabvala. At this juncture of the offseason, teams are not required to report injuries, so Brown’s exact status will likely remain unknown until the Commanders’ training camp kicks off in July.
Brown arrived in Washington on a veteran-minimum deal last year and quickly took over a starting role in Kliff Kingsbury‘s new offense. He commanded a 63% snap share in the team’s first 11 games with 35 catches for 453 yards before a kidney injury prematurely ended his season in December. Brown re-signed with the Commanders on a one-year, $3.25MM deal this offseason.
The Commanders added several other receivers this offseason, giving them the depth to withstand Brown’s potential absence from training camp. The acquisition of Deebo Samuel should give Kingsbury a WR2 to replace Brown’s snaps, but he will need to find a tertiary target for reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels. Washington has multiple veterans (Chris Moore, Michael Gallup, K.J. Osborn) as well as a few recent draft picks (Luke McCaffrey, Jaylin Lane) who can compete for WR3 snaps if Brown is sidelined into the regular season.
While Brown’s injury is unlikely to get the Commanders to give into Terry McLaurin‘s contract demands, it could create some urgency to get him back on the field for training camp and ready for the regular season.