Terry McLaurin says the difference in Washington feels obvious before the season even starts.
After last year’s stop-start grind, when he missed most of the offseason and training camp while holding out for a new deal, the Commanders receiver is back in the flow from the opening whistle of camp. That mattered then, and it matters now.
McLaurin’s 2025 season was wrecked by injuries to him and quarterback Jayden Daniels, and the result was a career-worst line of 38 catches, 582 yards and three touchdowns in 10 games. This summer, he says the rhythm is completely different.
“My body feels great,” he said via ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. “I’m clocking 22 mph, not missing any days.
So I just feel like my normal self. And when you’re out here from Day 1 all the way through camp, obviously you get in that full conditioning mode.
… This has been my home for going on eight years now, and I’m super excited just to be here for the whole entire season.”
McLaurin also pointed to the value of stacking reps with Daniels, saying the connection between the two has kept growing. He said both players see the game in the same way and added that Daniels is showing more leadership after dealing with his own adversity in 2025.
“I think we both see the game the same way,” McLaurin said. “We understand spacing, leverage, man and zone.
… It’s just fun to be able to work with a guy like that. And you just see him continuing to grow as a leader.
His vocalness is definitely standing out even more. He’s a laid-back guy, but when he says things, you definitely listen.
… It’s definitely continued to grow our connection.”
In Dallas, the early buzz around first-round S Caleb Downs has been loud enough to turn heads. The Cowboys went into the draft looking for a movable piece in the secondary, someone who could handle nickel duties and do a lot more than just cover slot receivers. Based on the way people around the team are talking, they think they found exactly that.
“They shouldn’t call it nickel, they ought to call it Downs,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said on NFL Network, via the Athletic’s Jon Machota. “Really. He was built for that.”
Dak Prescott laid out why the fit matters. Offensive coordinators spend all week hunting matchups, moving top receivers around and trying to isolate a defender who can’t keep up. Prescott said Downs gives Dallas a player who can answer that challenge without giving anything back on the other side of the ball.
“That’s what makes these offenses great, when you can move these (top wide receivers) in and out,” Prescott said. “And so if you don’t have a guy that can travel with them, if you don’t have a guy that can match up and play that, you’re putting yourself in a bind.
And (Downs) not only has to travel and get inside (when) that guy goes inside, but he also has to stop the run. And so to have a guy that can do that, to be versatile, but more importantly, physical, that’s what makes great defenses great.
You need a guy in there that can slow down that star receiver when he moves inside, but yet fill the B-gap, the C-gap or wherever he needs to and hold the integrity of the defense.”
Over with the Giants, rookie linebacker Arvell Reese is drawing strong early reviews from head coach John Harbaugh, who said he is “very encouraged” by what he has seen in practice.
“I think he looked good today from what I could see. I can’t wait to see the tape, but he’s playing really well.
He’s been playing well the whole camp since he got here. . . . You see the talent, obviously.
I think he’s very sharp for a first-year guy. He gets things right pretty much all the time, makes very few mistakes.
He’s a very serious-minded guy, and he’s very determined. I mean, he’s doing things well.”
Harbaugh said, via Pro Football Talk.
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