When Will Commanders Injured TEs Return?

John Bates and Cole Turner still remain sidelined for the Commanders.

The Washington Commanders got a little healthier at the tight end position this week when Logan Thomas was activated off the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) List, but the position group still has a couple guys down.

John Bates and Cole Turner remain sidelined with injuries.

Drafted in the 4th round of the 2021 NFL Draft, Bates came into the NFL out of Boise State expected to contribute mostly as a blocker after having just two career receiving touchdowns in college.

What he actually did was deliver 20 catches for 249 yards and one touchdown while starting eight games as a rookie due to injuries at the position.

Bates certainly looked better as a pass catcher than anyone expected, and as fourth-round picks go, this one was a slam dunk in his rookie season.

Unlike Bates, the report on Turner coming into this year's NFL Draft was more pass catcher than blocker.

"He's a pass-catching tight end who needs to hit the weights and add necessary functional strength to play through contact," said Turner's NFL.com draft profile. "He has talent but is inconsistent finishing difficult catches and needs to prove he can become a legitimate every-down catch threat against NFL defenders and not just a height mismatch in the red zone."

Graded as a 7th-round pick, or even a priority undrafted free agent, Washington obviously saw more in him, selecting him in the fifth round along with North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell.

The former receiver was the standout player from the team's rookie camp after making several tough catches that showcased his concentration, hands, and body control.

However, both players have been stung by the injury bug this training camp, and unfortunately there's no timetable currently for either of them to return.

"I don’t have a timeline for those guys," Rivera said. "I will say so far, everything I have been told has been positive.”

'Positive' could mean a lot of things. It could mean there's a chance they could come back before the September 11 season opener ... or that neither will have to go on the PUP List ... or that neither will have to go on injured reserve.

The one 'positive' thing we can say is that both of those guys are out, and the rest of the tight end room is going to have to pick up the slack.