Terry McLaurin is already giving people around the Commanders a familiar feeling.
On Monday at training camp, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said the veteran receiver “looked like himself again” while breaking down what he saw on 106.7 The Fan’s “Grant & Danny.” Fowler pointed to McLaurin’s connection with Jayden Daniels right away, saying, “It was hard to ignore that connection between Terry McLaurin and Jayden Daniels with that beautiful pass to start,”
Fowler said McLaurin and Daniels appeared in sync and noted how different that looked after what McLaurin dealt with last season. “McLaurin looked like himself again, and I know last year was hard with the 'hold in' and then the injuries.
So he and Jayden Daniels both look like they are on the same page. I talked with McLaurin after practice.
He was almost downright giddy about the connection they have, that they are growing again or regrowing. So, that's a positive.”
McLaurin wasn’t the only pass-catcher Fowler singled out. He also came away impressed by Chig Okonkwo, who the Commanders signed in free agency after Zach Ertz tore an ACL late last season. Fowler described Okonkwo as a player who can help fill that receiving void, even if he isn’t known as a traditional blocking tight end.
“I think he is probably their receiver No. 2 right now. You know, he runs routes like a receiver, even though he is a tight end.
To me, he is more of a hybrid model. With the absence of another bona fide No. 2, he's probably the 'two' to me.
That stood out to me.”
That question has hovered over Washington all offseason: who, exactly, is the team’s legitimate No. 2 receiver? GM Adam Peters clearly saw the need. In free agency, he pursued Alec Pierce and Romeo Doubs hard, but the price climbed too high and he backed off.
Washington then added Van Jefferson and Dyami Brown to raise the baseline of the room, but the search for a real WR2 never really stopped. In the draft, the Commanders used the No. 71 pick on Antonio Williams from Clemson, another swing at finding someone who can grow into that role. They also used the No. 128 selection on Jaylin Lane in 2025 and the No. 100 pick on Luke McCaffrey in 2024.
If McLaurin is indeed back to looking like a dependable WR1, that changes the shape of the passing game for Washington in 2026.
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