Commanders feel pressure to blink as WR depth flops without Terry McLaurin

Terry McLaurin remains on the proverbial fringes as his contract standoff with the Washington Commanders continues. But with those further down the wide receiver pecking order struggling to make an impact, fans are growing increasingly concerned that this matter remains unresolved.

Nobody is stressing too much about McLaurin's trade request. The Commanders aren't entertaining the thought of removing their best pass-catcher from the equation. However, there seems to be a big gap between what the player wants and what general manager Adam Peters is willing to pay.

Skepticism is growing about whether the Commanders have enough capable wideouts behind the projected starters. With McLaurin and Noah Brown missing joint practice with the New England Patriots, others were unable to meet the required standard, according to those in attendance.

Commanders must come down from their contract stance with Terry McLaurin as others underperform

There were a couple of splash plays from Deebo Samuel Sr., Mike Strachan, and Ja'Corey Brooks. But Nicki Jhabvala from The Athletic was one of several beat reporters who thought this subpar effort could make Peters blink first in this contract battle.

The Commanders’ lack of receiving depth has been a glaring issue in recent practices, especially so on Wednesday. Troubling for the Commanders is that [Noah] Brown hasn’t always been readily available. The hope, of course, is that [Terry] McLaurin signs an extension — and soon. He doesn’t have much leverage in his talks with the team, but its lack of starting-caliber wideouts and receiving depth have become increasingly favorable to McLaurin as he seeks a new deal.Nicki Jhabvala

There's already pressure on Peters to keep McLaurin happy to avoid complications when the regular season commences. The Commanders have a real shot to win the Super Bowl. That doesn't happen if the former third-round pick out of Ohio State is missing games, disgruntled, or even off the team entirely.

At the same time, Peters won't do anything that doesn't fit into his long-term plan. He knows McLaurin's value right now. He also knows that the wideout will be 31 years old when his new deal kicks in. And NFL history is littered with receivers in their 30s who regress significantly after getting third contracts.

McLaurin's shown no signs of that yet, but who knows what can happen in the future?

Peters thinks of every eventuality. Reports also suggest that the Commanders aren't enamored with how the receiver market has exploded lately. Whether underperformance from others alters his current mindset is debatable, especially considering the negotiation leverage remains with Washington.

For now, at least.

The wideout dynamic changes for the worse when McLaurin isn't around. That's becoming painfully obvious, and this could be enough to force the Commanders' hand and finally end this prolonged saga.

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