Commanders' week gets off to the exact start it needed heading into matchup vs Buccaneers

The Washington Commanders released its first official injury report of the season on Wednesday and it featured some very good news in the form of rookie left tackle Brandon Coleman practicing in full.

It's a big deal, as the 2024 third-rounder seems to have won the starting job, based off the team's unofficial depth chart for Week 1. Also, before Wednesday's practice, Commanders head coach Dan Quinn basically told everyone to keep their powder dry and see how the week plays out before making a final call on Coleman's game status.

"For the practice part first, definitely aiming towards playing and getting into that. I'll probably have a better instance for him and couple of the guys all the way through the practice week," said Quinn. "But it sure has been good to have him back out there and going through it for practice, last week, and into this week, as well. It's definitely good to have him back out there. As far as the game, let's let the practices play out some more."

We'll see what Coleman's status looks like on Thursday and if he's limited because of planned rest or if there's a setback, but one couldn't ask for a better start in terms of trending toward Sunday. If he plays, then the Commanders could be starting their best five upfront, which is obviously great news for the offense and more specifically, Jayden Daniels.

As for the rest of the report, Clelin Ferrell and Dante Fowler Jr. were also full participants. It isn't surprising to see Marcus Mariota on the report, as he's been dealing with injury for most of training camp/preseason. The same goes for Johnny Newton, who is still in the ramping up process. It is a bit surprising, however, to see Daron Payne on there with a back issue. That'll be something to keep an eye on throughout the week. Strictly in relation to Coleman, Trent Scott's injury will be something to monitor, as well, because if there is a setback with Coleman or if he can't go and Scott can't go, the Commanders' tackle depth will be in a scary spot while playing the Bucs.

Bucs' first injury report features good news for their pass rush

The Bucs also received some good news of their own regarding their own injury report. Top pass rusher Yaya Diaby was a full go on Wednesday, himself. He suffered a high ankle sprain early in camp and proceeded to miss the rest of the summer. The injury didn't require a walking boot and it was always perceived he'd be ready to go by Week 1, but it was still an uncertainty.

And while we still need to see how the week plays out, like Coleman, it's an encouraging start for the second-year outside linebacker looking to have a breakout season.

Safety Jordan Whitehead was a full participant after suffering an early camp injury, himself. He missed the rest of the summer, as well, but the thought process for his Week 1 availability followed the same as Diaby's: The expectation has always been he'd play against the Commanders.

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles told reporters Logan Hall is dealing with a foot injury and right now, it sounds like he'll be a game-time decision.

“He’s got a foot [injury]. It’ll go up until the weekend. We’ll see how he feels. We’ve got a plethora of guys that are going to platoon in that rotation right there," said Bowles.

The Bucs do have plenty of guys they can rotate and they can call up C.J. Brewer, who barely missed final cuts, from the practice squad, as well.

Lastly, but certainly not least, it'll be interesting to see how Chase McLaughlin's week plays out. He had a historical season, last year, in terms of the Bucs' franchise and was deadly accurate, making over 93.5% of his field goal attempts and 100% of his PATs, last year. Tampa Bay may have to add a kicker to the practice squad in order to call them up for the game if his illness doesn't subside over the next day or two.