The Washington Commanders are heading into the regular season with a clean bill of health.
All five of the players listed on Washington’s injury report were cleared, head coach Dan Quinn confirmed during his Friday press conference, meaning that the team will be at full strength for their Week 1 matchup with the New York Giants.
Wide receiver Noah Brown, one of the players on the list with a knee injury, is set to provide the Commanders and quarterback Jayden Daniels with another weapon against what seems to be an improved Giants secondary. Brown battled injuries for most of camp but showed steady progress towards being fully healthy over the past two weeks. He looked strong while warming up prior to the Commanders’ final preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens, and head coach Dan Quinn said after the game that Brown’s rehab was heading in the right direction. He returned to practice for the first time in weeks following the Commanders’ final roster cuts and was available for the team’s next three practice days.
Brown missed the final stretch of the Commanders’ 2024 regular season and playoff push with a kidney injury but had proved himself as a reliable option for quarterback Jayden Daniels in previous weeks. Aside from catching the game-winning Hail Mary against the Chicago Bears, he also showed that he could be a vertical threat who also knew how to draw pass interference calls on defensive backs. Brown, signed after last year’s roster cuts, was on track for a career-high in receiving yards prior to his injury, recording 453 yards on 35 receptions in 11 games.
The rest of Washington’s injured players — defensive end Dorance Armstrong (knee), cornerback Jonathan Jones (hamstring), kicker Matt Gay (illness) and quarterback Marcus Mariota (achilles) — have also been cleared to play. Jones and Brown were absent from practice as part of a scheduled rest day by the team.
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