Commanders' biggest quarter-season disappointment is impossible to ignore

For the first time since he entered the league in 2019, Terry McLaurin is not the undisputed top dog amongst the Washington Commanders’ receivers.

That was true even before his injury in Week 3 against the Las Vegas Raiders. With his health still in question, it seems evident that Washington’s offense is moving forward without him, at least in the short term.

Both Deebo Samuel Sr. and Zach Ertz have more catches and more targets than McLaurin so far this season. They have each caught two touchdown passes to the former Ohio State star's zero. Their catch percentages are significantly higher.

These stats may not be a bad thing. They may indicate that Washington’s passing attack, which relied more heavily on a single player than any other team in the league over the past five seasons, may be diversifying. Still, McLaurin’s mediocrity through the early part of 2025 and his subsequent injury hint at something troubling.

Terry McLaurin's endured a rough start to his 2025 campaign with the Commanders

All Commanders’ fans know what happened this offseason.

Washington’s veteran receiver, who was clearly the franchise’s heart and soul — and best player — in the dying days of Dan Snyder’s ownership, had his best season in 2024. Playing for the first time with an elite quarterback, McLaurin received his first second-team All-Pro recognition. He demanded a contract worthy of his performance.

McLaurin held out — or held in — until his representatives and general manager Adam Peters reached an agreement on a three-year, $97 million extension.

That number is very reasonable given today’s market, but Peters hesitated in part because of the age factor. McLaurin turned 30 years old in September, and league history is littered with top-flight receivers who took a nosedive once they hit that plateau.

McLaurin’s production through his first three games — 10 catches on 17 targets for 149 receiving yards — would not be too bad, provided he was viewed as a deep threat and little more. His zero touchdowns are a problem, but the other numbers would actually be quite good for a deep ball specialist.

That’s not who McLaurin has been during his Washington career. And even with the arrival of Samuel, that’s not who he was projected to be this year.

The two-time Pro Bowler was supposed to be the WR1. McLaurin is getting paid to be the WR1. It is the role he's had from the moment he donned the burgundy and gold.

In his rookie year, McLaurin caught 58 passes for 919 receiving yards. The next three closest wide receivers that year — Steven Sims, Kelvin Harmon, and Paul Richardson — combined for 920 yards.

That established a pattern that has held through 2024. McLaurin didn’t simply lead the team in every significant receiving stat. He led by a wide margin. Sometimes, a running back like J.D. McKissic or a tight end like Logan Thomas might have a good season and get close to his catches or touchdowns. But amongst wide receivers, he was rarely challenged.

Consider one often-overlooked category that helps define how important a receiver is to his team: first downs. If you saw Puka Nacua play last week, you know how crucial first-down receptions are. They extend drives. They create points and wear down a defense, both physically and psychologically.

Nacua currently leads the league in first-down receptions. Over the past five years, notable players have included Ja'Marr Chase, Tyreek Hill, Justin Jefferson, Cooper Kupp, and Travis Kelce. These are the best pass catchers in the league. They come up big when their team needs them the most.

McLaurin has always been Washington’s leader in this category, averaging about 50 first-down catches per season. That may not be elite, but it is usually enough to place him in the top 20. When he finally had an excellent quarterback throwing him the ball last season, he had his best “first down” season, finishing 10th in the league.

He is currently 54th, on pace for just 30 conversions. This would be his lowest total by a mile.

McLaurin is on pace to record his worst career total in almost every critical receiving category. Part of that is skewed by his current injury, but even when adjusted for the game he missed, he is coming up well short of his career averages.

Commanders’ fans feared two things about McLaurin’s holdout. One — that his lack of preparation would lead to diminished production. Two — that his lack of preparation, in combination with his age, would lead to injury. Now it appears that both of those things are happening.

It is still early in the 2025 season, and this player has consistently defied expectations throughout his career. No one would be shocked if McLaurin came back stronger than ever once he gets back to health.

Whenever that may be.

But over the course of four weeks, perhaps the single most shocking thing is that McLaurin, the team’s undisputed alpha male, no longer appears to be that.

He looks like just another guy. And even if Washington does have some new players to help pick up the slack, that is a massive problem for the Commanders' offense.