Injured Commanders Wide Receiver Could Miss Rest of Season, Coach Says

Noah Brown of the Washington Commanders catches a pass in the second half against the Dallas Cowboys at Northwest Stadium on Nov. 24 in Landover, Maryland. Patrick Smith/Getty Images

The Washington Commanders’ playoff hopes took a hit on Dec. 11 as head coach Dan Quinn announced second-leading wide receiver Noah Brown could miss the rest of the season.

Quinn said Brown sustained a “significant internal injury” during a 42-19 win over the Tennessee Titans (3-10) on Dec. 1. It was later listed as a kidney injury. The Commanders (8-5) had a bye in Week 14 ahead of Sunday’s game at the New Orleans Saints (5-8).

While Brown hasn’t gone on injured reserve, Quinn said “it’s likely heading that way” for the veteran receiver from New Jersey. Brown has 35 catches for 453 yards and a touchdown, the Hail Mary pass from rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels that stunned the Chicago Bears (4—9) in Week 8 with an 18-15 win.

“We loved him and his play style,” Quinn said. “Absolutely one of our glue guys.”

Brown came to the Commanders as a free agent in August to give Daniels another veteran skill player to work with. It marked the second year in a row that Brown paired with the No. 2 pick in the draft.

He worked with Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud last season and made an impact on an up-and-coming squad. Brown caught 12 passes for 128 yards and a touchdown in five games as his season was cut short due to a shoulder injury. His season will end early for a second straight year.

“That one hurts,” Quinn said regarding Brown’s latest injury.

While Terry McLaurin has been the main wideout for Daniels with 61 catches for 896 yards and nine touchdowns, the Commanders will need to sort through receivers to find a No. 2 guy.

“We’ve got a pretty deep crew,” Quinn explained. “Guys can play in different spots. But Noah does have specific size and speed traits that are unique to him.”

“He’s such a tough ... competitor, so I love that he brings that to the team. It’s definitely a tough one for us,” Quinn added.

Commanders receiver Dyami Brown has 20 catches for 206 yards and a touchdown this year, and he’s started twice in the second wideout role in place of Noah Brown. Sixth-year veteran wideout Olamide Zaccheaus has 27 receptions for 264 yards. The Commanders also have rookie Luke McCaffrey, the younger brother of San Francisco 49ers superstar Christian McCaffrey.

Figuring out a second receiver for Daniels will be key as his hot start has cooled off. Daniels and company had a three-game losing streak going into the Titans game, and he had only three touchdown passes during the skid as opposed to nine during the team’s 7-2 start.

Because of the losing skid, the Commanders have the No. 7 seed in the NFC at the moment, but the Los Angeles Rams (7—6) lurk right behind for the final spot.