Defensive end Drake Jackson landed on injured reserve after signing with the Commanders in October, but he appears to be moving toward making his debut for the team.
Jackson was designated for return on Thursday and he took part in practice with the team as they prepare to face the Dolphins in Madrid.
Jackson was a 2022 second-round pick by the 49ers and he had six sacks in his first 23 games, but a knee injury ended his 2023 season and caused him to miss all of last season. He was waived by the 49ers in May.
The Commanders listed Jackson as a limited participant along with safety Will Harris (ankle), linebacker Frankie Luvu (shoulder), safety Quan Martin (shoulder), and tight end Ben Sinnott (ankle). Linebacker Bobby Wagner (thumb) and running back Chris Rodriguez (shoulder) were both full participants.
Wide receiver Terry McLaurin (quad) remained out of practice and will miss Sunday’s game along with quarterback Jayden Daniels (elbow), wide receiver Treylon Burks (finger), and linebacker Ale Kaho (concussion).
The Dolphins picked up a surprising, dominant victory over the Bills last Sunday, giving Miami two wins over the last three weeks.
It’s been a poor season overall for the Dolphins, who have already mutually parted ways with General Manager Chris Grier. With the additional departures of the club’s co-directors of player personnel, it certainly appears Miami could be on the road to clearing house and firing head coach Mike McDaniel at the end of the season.
However, if the Dolphins continue to stack wins, they may change the mind of team owner Stephen Ross.
During his Wednesday press conference in Spain, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was asked if potentially saving McDaniel’s job was on the minds of players in last week’s victory.
“You know, I understand the question,” Tagovailoa said. “I know there’s a lot of talk outside about certain individuals, certain people. But I think more so with last week’s game, I think it shows the togetherness of our team. And I don’t think it’s anyone playing for themselves. More so, it really is everyone playing for each other — everyone having to do their job, having the conviction to do their job, and each individual trusting that if I do my job, I’ve got to trust that this guy is going to do his job as well and not try to play hero ball where [it’s], alright, I don’t know if he’s going to do that, so I’m going to go out of my job, out of my way to maybe do his. Then when he does his and you don’t do yours, I think that’s where things fall apart where we’ve got to play with conviction, we just continue to stick together, play together, and I don’t think anyone’s worried about any of that external noise when it comes to that.
“When we play this game, we know what we sign up for. And we know this is a business as well. We want to play for each other. We’re going to do everything we can — we don’t prepare to go out there and think, hey we want to do bad, we want to lose this game. No, we go out there with our hearts, with our minds for war — like that’s what it is, essentially. So, yeah.”
In 10 games this season, Tagovailoa has completed 68.2 percent of his passes for 1,952 yards with 17 touchdowns and a league-leading 13 interceptions.
The Commanders have already ruled wide receiver Terry McLaurin out for Week 11, but he is taking a step back toward the lineup.
Head coach Dan Quinn said that McLaurin will begin doing on-field rehab work in Madrid this week. McLaurin has missed six games with a quad injury already this season, including the last two contests.
The Commanders have a bye week, so McLaurin could be back for their next game in Week 13 if all goes well.
Quinn also said that the team expects running back Chris Rodriguez to play against the Dolphins after injuring his shoulder last week. Safety Will Harris will also return to practice and open his 21-day return window from injured reserve.
The Dolphins plan to have edge rusher Chop Robinson available for Sunday’s game against the Commanders in Madrid.
Robinson did not play against the Bills last weekend because of a concussion, but he made the trip with the team to Spain this week and head coach Mike McDaniel updated his condition at a Wednesday press conference. McDaniel said “all things point toward a full clearance” for Robinson on Wednesday, who has eight tackles and a sack so far this season.
McDaniel said that center Aaron Brewer and cornerback Rasul Douglas will sit out of practice on Wednesday. He added that he feels positive about the chances of both players being able to play on Sunday.
The Dolphins will also open the 21-day practice window for tackle Austin Jackson. Jackson has been out since Week 1 with a toe injury and can be activated at any point in the next three weeks.
Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne will miss the team’s Week 11 game against the Dolphins in Madrid.
Payne was suspended one game for punching Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown during the Commanders’ 44-22 loss on Sunday. Payne, who was ejected from the game, appealed the suspension and the NFL announced that it was upheld by hearing officer Ramon Foster.
Payne will not travel with the team to Spain as a result of the ruling. He will lose a game check as a result of the suspension and that comes out to more than $1 million given Payne’s $19.56 million salary for the 2025 season.
Javon Kinlaw, Jer’Zhan Newton, Eddie Goldman, and Sheldon Day are the other defensive tackles on Washington’s 53-man roster.
