The Washington Commanders held an eventful joint practice with the New England Patriots on Wednesday. Plenty of storylines came out of that practice, but few stand out more ominously than the lackluster performance of Washington's wide receiver room.
With All-Pro wideout Terry McLaurin in an active holdout (with a trade request, to boot), the Commanders are precariously thin in the pass-catching department. It has been evident all throughout training camp, but it was especially noticeable with an opposing defense lined up on the other side, as The Athletic's Nicki Jhabvala outlines.
"With Terry McLaurin and Noah Brown both out, the Commanders’ lack of receiving depth has been a glaring issue in recent practices, especially so on Wednesday," she writes. "Deebo Samuel, a versatile playmaker who can be a chess piece for offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, doesn’t (and shouldn’t) take on the workload expected of a leading wideout or even a No. 2. And so far, none of the Commanders’ 10 other receivers has emerged as consistent playmakers or a reliable pass catcher capable of taking on more."
Commanders WR room looks awfully thin without Terry McLaurin
With McLaurin still under contract for the 2025 campaign, it's hard to imagine this ending in anything other than a new contract. But it's Week 1 of the preseason and there has been minimal progress in negotiations. McLaurin has dug his feet in and it's clear the Commanders don't feel great about shelling out significant salary.
So where does this all lead? Well, let's just say McLaurin is gaining leverage with each successive practice. While it's fair to be skeptical of paying a 30-year-old receiver significant long-term money, the Commanders don't really have an alternative. Deebo Samuel is awesome, but he's a supercharged utilityman at this stage of his career — not the focal point of a good offense.
The Commanders can hope for major improvement from some of their youngsters, such as Luke McCaffrey or rookie Jaylin Lane, but it's bleak. Zach Ertz and Deebo Samuel are easily Washington's most experienced weapons, but both are well into their 30s. That factors into the McLaurin debacle, as the Commanders don't want to invest too heavily in an aging roster around Jayden Daniels. But it's a fine tightrope to walk.
Commanders need to extend Terry McLaurin — for Jayden Daniels' sake
A McLaurin trade should be completely off the table for at least one reason: Washington has Jayden Daniels on the roster. McLaurin put up 1,096 yards and a career-high 13 touchdowns last season. It's fair to wonder what it all looks like a few years from now, but he has five straight 1,000-plus yard campaigns under his belt. He remains one of the very best playmakers in the NFL.
McLaurin and Daniels established instant chemistry last season. Washington's new quarterback was historically dominant as a rookie. Now he's looking to sneak into the MVP conversation and lead Washington to the promised land.
For as gifted as Daniels is, he still needs a workable supporting cast around him. The Commanders' O-line is solid and Daniels himself can stimulate the run game, but the WR room is completely inadequate without McLaurin. Washington has a bunch of No. 2 and 3 wideouts but no leader of the pack. The difference without McLaurin is marked.
If the Commanders get to the point of actually trading McLaurin, there is no readily available replacement. That could mean Washington ends up undermining Daniels in only his second season with the franchise.