Commanders Defensive Line Extremely Thin vs. Eagles; What's The Plan?

The Washington Commanders' defensive line has been stung by the injury bug in more ways than one this season. And it's going to affect them tremendously this weekend against the Philadelphia Eagles.

The team announced that Casey Toohill (concussion) and Daniel Wise (ankle) won't play Sunday after not practicing all week. The team could also be without James Smith-Williams (abdomen), who was limited in practice all week. These injuries come on top of Chase Young (torn ACL; PUP List) and Phidarian Mathis (torn meniscus; IR) being out, meaning the Commanders are extremely thin on the defensive line.

"Guys are getting a lot of reps looking at different possibilities and trying to heal up best the guys that are a little nicked up," defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio said. "It's fluid process. I think, really in all the cases. I mean these other than Phil [Phidarian Mathis], these guys are coming back and hopefully soon to full strength. The challenge is as you prepare during the week to get some able bodies out there that are ready to go.”

While these players are coming back "hopefully soon," soon may not be enough for this weekend, meaning the Commanders have to adapt. We'll know more on Saturday when players are officially activated from the practice squad, but there's a decent chance players like defensive end William Bradley-King, and defensive tackles Donovan Jeter and Benning Potoa'e are asked to play Sunday. From the active roster, look for defensive end Shaka Toney and sixth-round rookie defensive tackle John Ridgeway to see an increase in playing time.

The Commanders play the Eagles at 1 p.m. Sunday at FedEx Field.

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Commanders? Click Here.

Follow Commander Country on Twitter.