Jayden Daniels and the Commanders received some more bad news on Wednesday.
Coach Dan Quinn declared to the media that there had been a significant injury to receiver Noah Brown.
“He’s going to be out for a while and so he had a significant internal injury from the game. And so, that’s going to knock him out for a while. And we love him and his play style, the identity of how he goes. And so, that one hurts.”
Brown contributed to special teams with his physical nature and aggressive play. On offense, Brown was a good blocker on the perimeter, helping with the running game.
Now, about the receiving. Brown used his body well on slants, utilized his size well, and had the ability to beat corners and draw interference penalties.
Daniels, the Commanders quarterback has now lost his No. 3 and No. 4 targets in consecutive games. Against Dallas, he lost running back Austin Ekeler when he suffered a late-game concussion. The following week, Daniels lost Brown in the Titans game.
Yes, Terry McLaurin leads the team with 896 receiving yards, and Zach Ertz is second (501). However, Brown was third (453), and Ekeler was fourth (346).
Brown and Ekeler were also third and fourth, respectively, in receptions, with 35 and 33. How about yards per reception? Brown was second (12.9) and Ekeler fourth (10.5). Brown and Ekeler were also third and fourth in receptions per game and second and fourth in receiving yards per game.
Consequently, please make no mistake: Jayden Daniels has taken a significant hit as we reach the season’s final four games.
Will someone step up and fill the void in Brown and Ekeler’s absence? Dyami Brown, Luke McCaffrey, and Olamide Zaccheaus will each contribute in the passing game and as blockers in the run game.
Who will take Brown’s roster spot? The likely candidates to vie for the roster spot are WR Jamison Crowder and TE Colson Yankoff, both on injured reserve currently. Four candidates on the practice squad are TE Cole Turner, WR Michael Strachan, WR Mitchell Tinsley and WR Brycen Tremayne.
On Wednesday, the Commanders also signed receiver K.J. Osborn from waivers. The New England Patriots recently released him. He will bring one more receiver with some experience to compete for Brown’s roster spot this last month of the season.
