Jayden Daniels sends a strong message on his connection with Terry McLaurin with Week 1 quickly approaching for Commanders

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Josh Taylor | Last updated Aug 31, 2025 7:12 AM ET

The Washington Commanders were without wide receiver Terry McLaurin for almost the entire summer, and they finally got him back last week, but was it too late with the season around the corner? The Commanders are hosting the New York Giants to start the season on Sunday, and the team has just started practicing as a whole unit on offense.

A lot of worries are about the Commanders starting slow, and McLaurin not being fully ready with little practice time with Daniels and the offense. Daniels' recent comments about his on-field connection with McLaurin should help calm fans' nerves after hearing this.

Daniels reassures a smooth operation

It's not ideal to get your star WR back with less than two weeks before the regular season starts, but that's the current situation for the Commanders. Daniels was asked about the timing and how his connection with McLaurin is with his return, and he didn't hold back his confidence with his answer.

Daniels was asked if he was on the same page with McLaurin yet, and his response was, "I don't think it ever leaves, so yeah. I think it [the connection] showed last year. I don't think that changes, so the same amount of trust.”

Then they took the field together in practice again, and backed up exactly what he had to say.

That 5 to 17 connection @Seatgeek | #RaiseHail pic.twitter.com/ICKrZIbihC
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) August 28, 2025

Just how special the connection is

The connection between Daniels and McLaurin was statistically one of the best duos in the entire league, and a majority of reason why they made it to the NFC Championship game. Daniels actually had the second-highest passer rating when throwing to McLaurin at 130.4, which was behind only Jared Goff and Amon-Ra St.Brown.

The Commanders' top duo was actually the second most explosive connection in the entire league as well, and McLaurin was responsible for 75.8% of Daniels' explosive plays last season. You can't replace that connection with anyone else in the country.

Only Jared Goff recorded more games with completions of 50+ yards than Jayden Daniels (6) last season.

These explosive plays accounted for 11.9% of Daniels' passing yards.

Terry McLaurin was responsible for an overwhelming 75.8% of those big-play yards. pic.twitter.com/YvASarPO5a
— PFSN (@PFSN365) August 11, 2025

How well Daniels and McLaurin start the season will determine the record for the Commanders, because the team goes as they go. There are a lot of new pieces that might take a few weeks to start producing, and having that number one go-to weapon as your safety blanket is worth every cent that McLaurin was paid.

The Commanders can't afford to come out against the Giants and let a feisty defense keep Daniels off the field, or they very well could start the season with a loss in the NFC East. Daniels has all the confidence that he and McLaurin will pick up where they left off and continue to be one of the best duos in the league.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: