The Washington Football Team's offense received a major boost with Steven Sims Jr. being activated off Injured Reserve, the team announced Saturday. Sims, who missed more than a month with a toe injury, practiced fully all week and appears on track to play Sunday against the New York Giants.
In a corresponding move, the team released defensive end Nate Orchard. It also elevated wide receiver Jeff Badet and offensive lineman Ross Pierschbacher from the practice squad.
"We missed that underneath guy that works the underneath and takes a little bit of the pressure off of Terry [McLaurin] and Cam [Sims] and Logan [Thomas]," head coach Ron Rivera said. "When you don't have that presence that's there, it kind of changes your approach. It changes the targeting of the quarterback. It changes the offense's calls.
Sims was the No. 2 wide receiver behind McLaurin entering training camp, but his second NFL season got off to a slow start. Offensively, he led the team with 17.1 yards per catch through two games but did so on just six catches. As a returner, he averaged 14.0 yards on kick returns and 5.6 yards on punt returns.
Sims hurt his toe in that game, which is why he only played 23% of the offensive snaps in Week 3 against the Browns. After not playing a week later against the Ravens, Washington placed Sims on IR on Oct. 9.
Sims' return gives quarterback Kyle Allen another offensive weapon as Washington (2-5) enters its most crucial stretch of the season. Earlier this week, Allen said that Sims' speed, intelligence and route-running ability make for a "very dynamic player" who the team is excited to have back.
"He's going to add a whole new element to our offense."
