The Commanders are suddenly asking a lot more from Terry McLaurin, and they need the answer fast.
Washington’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys turned into a much bigger problem when quarterback Jayden Daniels dislocated his elbow, but the offensive pain started before that. On third down, McLaurin had a catchable touchdown in his hands and didn’t finish the play.
If he comes down with it, the Commanders likely aren’t in the same mess. That one moment fits the bigger story of McLaurin’s first two games.
This was supposed to be a cleaner, sharper start for him. He had a full offseason to work, there was no contract holdout hanging over the team, and he entered the year looking healthy and ready to lead. Instead, the season has opened with a flat stretch that has Washington staring at another stretch without Daniels, just like last year when the two barely shared the field.
Through two games, McLaurin has only four catches on 13 targets for 64 receiving yards. He’s averaging 32.0 yards per game, which is a career low, and his 30.8 catch success percentage is also a career low by a wide margin.
His passer rating when targeted sits at 48.2, and he’s already been charged with two drops. That’s a rough start by any standard, and McLaurin knows it.
The numbers in Dallas were especially hard to ignore. Philadelphia smothered him in Week 1, which was expected, but two catches for 50 yards on nine targets against the Cowboys wasn’t close to enough.
That’s what makes this so striking: McLaurin has built his reputation on being too good for stretches like this. He’s a second-team All-Pro and the franchise record holder for receiving touchdowns in a single season.
He has been the kind of receiver who sets the tone. Right now, though, Stefon Diggs is outplaying him.
Maybe defenses are giving McLaurin more attention than usual. Even so, that hasn’t been enough to explain the drop-off. He’s handled heavy coverage before, and Washington needs that version of him now more than ever.
With Daniels out for the foreseeable future, Marcus Mariota is the next man up, and the Commanders need their receivers to make life easier for him. McLaurin has plenty of experience working with Mariota over the years, which at least gives Washington a place to start.
There’s no mystery about McLaurin’s place in the organization. The Commanders just paid him, and he remains one of the few true cornerstones on the roster. But if this keeps going, the questions will start to get louder for the first time in a career that has otherwise been defined by production.
Washington was finally building some momentum before Daniels went down, and now the air has gone out of the place. The Commanders have to dig in and fight back, and McLaurin is the player everyone will be watching.
He has to deliver on the field. He has to provide the kind of leadership the locker room expects. And a little over 30 receiving yards a game is not going to be enough, even with Mariota under center.
The Commanders are counting on much more than that.
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Dan Quinn has already made the move official, and it points to an offense built more around quick passes than the dual-threat approach Daniels brings when he is healthy. For Washington, the challenge is not just replacing a starter, but reshaping the entire rhythm of the attack at a point in the season when every early game already carries extra weight. [Read more 🡒]
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For Washington, the issue is not just who is on the field, but how many players can get enough practice time to be ready for Seattle. Several other Commanders are still working through various injuries and have been tagged as limited or full participants, leaving the team with more questions than answers as it tries to steady the lineup before Sunday. [Read more 🡒]