Washington Commanders receiver Jahan Dotson; linebackers Cole Holcomb and David Mayo; and running back J.D. McKissic have all been ruled out for the team's Week 9 game against the Minnesota Vikings.
Dotson (hamstring) has not been seen in uniform since retweaking his hamstring prior to Washington's game against the Green Bay Packers. Head coach Ron Rivera said that he and Holcomb (foot) are progressing well but both players need more time to recover from their respective injuries.
Mayo, who is also dealing with a hamstring injury, has been absent from practice all week, dealing the Commanders a blow to their depth at linebacker. Aside from Jon Bostic and Jamin Davis, who had increased roles against the Indianapolis Colts, the Commanders have also signed De’Jon Harris from the practice squad.
Logan Thomas, who is still nursing a calf injury, was limited on Wednesday and Thursday but was a full participant on Friday will be active against the Vikings. Thomas was questionable against the Colts but ended up playing 34 snaps. The team will also have Cole Turner back in the lineup now that he has cleared the concussion protocol.
McKissic has not been as active as in previous seasons, but he is still a valuable piece of the running back room because of his skill set as a pass-catcher but also as a pass blocker. The decision to keep McKissic out will leave running back Jonathan Williams as the third back in the rotation.
Jonathan Allen (knee) and Tyler Larsen (back) were on the injury report but were full participants all week. There should be concerns about their status for Sunday. Shaka Toney (calf) was a midweek addition to the injury report and will be questionable.
The main question for the Commanders has been whether Chase Young, who was designated to return to practice on Wednesday, will be available to make his 2022 debut. Young said he felt "springy" after his first practice and participated in positional drills and the installation periods throughout the week. He also got some reps as part of the scout team.
However, the team remains cautious about rushing Young back into the rotation. The priority has been for Young's conditioning to improve before putting him on a game field, and even then, he would be on a pitch count until he gets more comfortable.
For now, it looks like Young will remain on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list for another week. The team still has nearly three weeks to place Young on the active roster, though, so it still has time to make that decision while Young gets back up to speed.
