Washington Commanders Going 'Next Man Up' After Jeremy Reaves, Darrick Forrest Hit IR

Jeremy Reaves and Darrick Forrest are on injured reserve, and the Washington Commanders must go to their next man up.

The Washington Commanders are placing two of their top defensive backs on injured reserve. Coach Ron Rivera announced that Darrick Forrest (shoulder) and Jeremy Reaves (knee) will head to injured reserve.

"That's a big blow for us," Rivera said. "Obviously we have guys on practice squad that we look at and will be elevating. Couple of those guys are special teams guys as well and DBs that give us options."

Rookie Quan Martin and second-year pro Percy Butler will see an uptick in playing time. To fill the 53-man roster spots, the Commanders added safety Terrell Burgess and linebacker De’Jon "Scoota" Harris.

Washington Commanders defensive back Darrick Forrest / Jessica Rapfogel-USA TODAY Sports

Safeties Josh Kalu and Sean Chandler were signed to the practice squad, as was defensive end Joshua Pryor. Washington released safety Keidron Smith from the practice squad to facilitate the third addition.

The Commanders now have 11 players on IR, but coach Rivera has a plan for the stockpile of injuries.

"I think the big thing for us is just next man up," Rivera said. "You know, let's get ready to roll and we don't have time to worry about those things ... But, you know, we drafted Percy for a reason. We got Quan for a reason and this is why. So now it's the next man up mentality and we just gotta go forward and get ready.”

The Commanders may be more injured than they ever have before, and it couldn't come at a worse time as the team fights through a three-game losing streak. Washington will have a chance to put that skid to an end on Sunday when the team visits the Atlanta Falcons. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.