Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin may avoid undergoing surgery that on the quad injury that has kept him out of practice this week, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported Thursday.
“My understanding is there will be no surgery, not as of right now,” Garafolo said on Thursday’s episode of NFL GameDay Kickoff.
Garafolo added that it is still unlikely McLaurin will be able to play in Sunday’s Week 4 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons.
The Commanders may still be hoping McLaurin can return more quickly without the prospective surgery, which would sideline him for six to eight weeks, according to Garafolo.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported earlier this week that McLaurin was seeking multiple opinions after injuring his quad during the Commanders’ Week 3 win over the Las Vegas Raiders last Sunday.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday that one of the doctors McLaurin had spoken with was a core muscle specialist, Dr. Williams Meyers.
Meyers has operated on other NFL players including Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson, NBC Sports’ Josh Alper reported.
McLaurin had recorded three catches for 74 yards before leaving Sunday’s game. He appeared to suffer the injury when he was tackled after catching a 56-yard pass in the third quarter.
McLaurin ranks behind only Deebo Samuel and Zach Ertz for the team lead with 10 receptions through three games, and leads all Commanders receivers with 149 receiving yards.
The Commanders are already missing quarterback Jayden Daniels, who has been limited in practice this week with a knee sprain. Washington has yet to confirm whether Daniels will be able to play against the Falcons.
Washington bolstered its receiving room depth by trading for Samuel ahead of the season, but the Falcons’ pass defense will still represent a difficult test without McLaurin. Atlanta ranks second in the NFL with 446 total passing yards allowed through the first three games of the season.
Samuel and Ertz will be tasked with a larger workload, while Marcus Mariota will be called on for his second start of the season if both Daniels and McLaurin are sidelined for Week 4.
