ASHBURN, Va. -- Washington Commanders receiver Terry McLaurin practiced in full for a second consecutive day, leading to him expressing his excitement at returning for Monday's game at Kansas City.
"I'm happy to say that I feel like myself, so I'm just looking forward to getting back out there," McLaurin said.
McLaurin has missed four games in a row after injuring his right quad in a Week 3 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. His return would provide a boost for the Commanders (3-4), who have lost back-to-back games entering their game against the Chiefs (4-3).
Fellow receiver Deebo Samuel, who missed Sunday's 44-22 loss at Dallas with a bruised heel, also has practiced in full the past two days and is on pace to play Monday.
Washington has played most of the season without its full complement of receivers. Noah Brown, who opened the year as their No. 3 receiver, has not played since injuring his groin in Week 2 and was placed on injured reserve on Oct. 15.
Having McLaurin and Samuel will be a big help for backup quarterback Marcus Mariota, who is subbing for injured starter Jayden Daniels (hamstring).
McLaurin caught 10 passes for 149 yards in three games. Samuel leads Washington with 34 catches for 315 yards and three touchdowns.
McLaurin said he felt close to returning but didn't feel like himself until after testing his quad Monday. He said he wanted to make sure he was 100 percent in a controlled environment, knowing it would translate better to game conditions. If he was less than 100 percent while running vs. no defender he was concerned how it would feel when defenders were on him in press coverage or he had to "slam on the brakes" and accelerate out of a cut.
"I'm an explosive athlete, so a lot of things that are part of my game, I need to feel that are a hundred percent before I can put myself out there," he said, "because I'm not only hurting the team, but I'm hurting myself.
"So to be able to just to be myself without any hindrance and pain is extremely important."
