As 32 teams gear up for the mandatory minicamps, optimism has been in abundance throughout the league. Everybody feels like their team is all set to take the league by storm this season. But when you’re going all-in with training, sometimes things can go south real fast. And that’s the reality Washington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels faces now, as a big domino collapses in his already weakened offense.

A 12-5 record last season marked the best season for the Commanders in over three decades. For a while, it seemed like all the pieces were in place. They were all set to replicate last season’s success on a bigger canvas this year. But the guy who once caught a Hail Mary pass from Jayden Daniels to defeat the Bears in Week 8 seems to be out of the picture, again. Who? Commanders WR Noah Brown.

As per a post on X by Nick Jhabvala, Noah Brown has suffered an injury during the training camp. As Jhabvala wrote, “Commanders WR Noah Brown is being carted off the field.” Jhabvala further added, “He went down during 7v7. Threw his helmet after being helped to the sideline.” So what happened? On Wednesday, during the 7v7 drills, Brown took to the ground to make a catch. Just a few moments later, he walked off to the sideline, threw off his helmet in frustration, and went down. He then got carted off the field with a towel over his head. Michael Gallup, another one of the Commanders’ WRs, is also suffering from a hamstring strain that’s keeping him out of practice. It simply appears that injuries are haunting the Commanders more than ever.

As for Noah Brown, the prospects were glowing before this injury. Just recently, team reporter Zach Selby had touted Brown’s 2025 season to be explosive. As Selby wrote, “He proved himself as a strong security blanket for Daniels and drew multiple pass interference calls because of how he used his size and quickness. It looks like he could be primed for another impactful campaign with a full offseason in Washington’s system.” While the depth of this injury will depend on the diagnosis, for now, it looks like Noah Brown is out of the picture. Ironically, this injury comes shortly after he made a recovery from last season’s pains. So, what happens now in Washington?

Noah Brown’s injury and the next steps for the Commanders

Noah Brown will cast a large shadow in the WR room now. Just last season, playing only for 11 games, he amassed 35 passes with 453 yards. Week 13 against the Tennessee Titans, Brown suffered from a lacerated kidney that sidelined him for the rest of the season. Many expected replications of more iconic TD passes between Jayden Daniels and Brown, like the one the two pulled off against the Bears. Now with this new injury, the WR situation is rather critical for the Commanders.

Noah Brown was all primed for greatness and explosive routes this season. But with him injured again, the focus and pressure will turn to Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel. There are also the gaps created by Dyami Brown and Olamide Zaccheus’s exits. The Commanders’ season opener against the New York Giants is still some time away. If the injury isn’t serious and can be recovered from fully in the next two to three months, then Brown will once again be ready to commit to Jayden Daniels’ throws. But if it’s a serious injury, and he’s sidelined for a chunk of yet another season, it doesn’t look good for the Commanders.

Once the medical staff fully assesses the injury and gives a diagnosis, we’ll know Noah Brown’s immediate future on the team for sure. While the team will certainly pray for a quick recovery and a non-season-threatening injury, it will be up to Head Coach Dan Quinn and General Manager Adam Peters to devise a backup plan. What will they do? We can only patiently wait for more updates.