Injury updates add another wrinkle to Washington's growing quarterback controversy

Injuries have defined an incredibly disappointing start to Washington’s 2026 football season. As a result, head coach Jedd Fisch had plenty of news to break during his Monday press conference. Fisch offered “no updates” on the Huskies’ four injured running backs, but he shared plenty of other injury information ahead of Friday’s road matchup against Purdue. More specifically, it doesn't look like quarterback Demond Williams Jr. will be good to go for Week 7.

Fisch listed Williams as “day-to-day” with a rib injury, and said that the third-year Husky went down hard while scrambling late in the second quarter of Friday’s embarrassing loss to Iowa. He went back to the locker room before halftime and did not return.

Though Williams appears to have avoided disaster, Fisch called the injury “significant” and said that it would require further imaging to fully diagnose. As such, he wasn’t optimistic about Williams’ chances of playing against Purdue on Friday night. When asked whether or not a healthy Williams would start over backup Elijah Brown, Fisch called such a decision “hypothetical” and stated that Williams’ long-term health was the top priority.

“If he is [healthy], then we’ll talk about it as a staff and see how healthy he [really] is,” Fisch said. “I don’t want setbacks. I don’t want a situation where he can barely make it back, and then we start him and we lose him for weeks after that.”

Demond Williams likely missing the Purdue game opens the door for Elijah Brown to grab the QB1 job

Fisch went on to state that with Williams not practicing on Monday, Brown would take reps with the first-team offense, and that it would take “a pretty significant change” to see any deviation from that current plan. For now, it's not looking likely that the QB will be ready to rock vs. Purdue.

Brown was far more impressive against Iowa than Williams was, finishing 28-of-39 through the air for 259 passing yards and three scores. It appears as though a growing portion of Washington’s fanbase wants Williams on the bench, and on Friday, they’re likely to get their wish.

Even if Williams recovers quickly, another strong showing from Brown could force Fisch to make a more concrete decision regarding his starting quarterback.

EDGE Jacob Lane is expected to be ready to rock vs. Purdue

Fourth-year edge rusher Jacob Lane went down early in the third quarter of Friday’s loss, and remained on the turf for a few moments. However, he walked off the field under his own power and returned to action later that same drive. He seems likely to play again this Friday, but Fisch reported that he’ll be monitored in the meantime.

“I think he should be OK to play, but we are just waiting to see how he does today and tomorrow in practice.” 

Lane, who is a returning starter along the defensive line, holds a meager statline of 16 total tackles, zero sacks and one pass deflection through six weeks. However, the veteran does hold the third-best Pro Football Focus (PFF) defense grade (73.1) among Husky starters, and leads the team with eight quarterback hurries. His teammates will surely hope to have him back.

DBs Rahshawn Clark and Jeron Jones are getting healthier

Rahshawn Clark and Jeron Jones were in competition for UW’s starting nickelback role this offseason. Though Clark was able to retain his starting spot, both have made noticeable contributions to the defense, which makes the news Fisch provided on Monday all the more welcome.  

“Rahshawn Clark should be OK to play. I would say Jeron Jones, I think, will be able to play coming off of a hamstring [injury], but we’ll see how he does in practice.”

Clark, who is also the team’s starting special teams returner, yielded his defensive duties against Minnesota due to a calf injury. Despite making nine tackles in his return against USC the following weekend, he then tallied just 11 defensive snaps against Iowa. Clark’s return to the Minnesota game plan indicates that he may have reaggravated his calf, but thankfully, any such injury appears to be minor.

Meanwhile, Jones played only 30 snaps against USC before leaving due to what we now know was a hamstring injury. Though he sat against Iowa the following week, he now appears probable to return against Purdue. Even with his injury, the freshman has averaged 46 snaps per game, so fans should be glad to see him avoid a prolonged absence.

WR Christian Moss is out for the year following surgery

Hopes were high that Christian Moss, the 6-foot-3 transfer wide receiver from Kennesaw State, could fill Denzel Boston’s shoes and become Washington’s immediate No. 1 passing option. However, the sixth-year receiver hardly got a chance.

“We are working on Christian Moss to see if we can regain a year [of eligibility] for him, as it looks like he will have one play in his final year of college if we’re not [able] to regain that year for him,” Fisch said.

Moss pulled up limping on Washington’s second offensive play without ever seeing a passing down. He had quadriceps surgery in late September to correct the issue, but he’s now been officially shut down for the year.

LB Xe’ree Alexander has suffered a serious injury

Xe’ree Alexander, Washington’s rotational third linebacker, has tallied 22 total tackles and a fumble recovery through six weeks. However, he suffered a high ankle sprain against Iowa, and was later seen on the sideline in a boot and crutches. Fisch initially described the injury as the game’s most severe, and there was no good news on Monday.

“Xe’ree will be out,” Fisch said. “Xe’ree will be out for a substantial amount of time.”

High ankle sprains are tricky to recover from and can often cause more severe problems than a similarly-located fracture. Recovery time usually ranges anywhere from six weeks to six months, and with just six regular-season games remaining, Alexander’s odds of returning appear slim. Fisch didn’t provide any other details, but given his concern for setbacks, it’s possible that the fourth-year linebacker is out for the season. Either way, he’ll have one season of eligibility remaining.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow