Will Commanders DB Kam Curl Be Ready For Week 1?

Curl has been dealing with a thumb injury.

The Washington Commanders are a week away from kicking off the 2022 season, but they may be doing so without one of their best defensive backs.

Commanders safety Kam Curl is expected to be the team's starting strong safety this season, but he might not start the season on the field after leaving practice early two weeks ago.

Curl was seen at practice last week in a sling, which prompted a question tossed to head coach Ron Rivera about his status going into Sunday's season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

“We don’t have to give you the injury report until next Wednesday, so we’ll stay away from all that,” Rivera said.

We may not get an answer until Wednesday, but Rivera is keeping his cards close to the vest on this one ... a viable strategy for an NFL head coach. Why give your opponent information that doesn't need to be disclosed yet? It's the right practice for the journalist to ask the question, and the right practice for Rivera to answer the way he did.

But assuming Curl comes up with a "DNP" on the injury report Wednesday, there's a good chance the team could be without him against the Jaguars, which means someone has to step up. That someone is likely to be second-year pro Darrick Forrest or fourth-round rookie Percy Butler, both of whom could slide over to strong safety and play next to free safety Bobby McCain.

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