Terry McLaurin's return is major for the Commanders, but it's just part of something that has been missing

The Washington Commanders' season hasn't gone as planned as we reach the halfway point of the year, and a lot of it is due to injuries and missing players.

The expectations were high after reaching the NFC Championship game and seeing how good Jayden Daniels is as the franchise quarterback, especially with his connection to Terry McLaurin. The offseason was a different story, however, as McLaurin was absent for all of training camp with his contract negotiation, and people wanted to see him perform at a high level after he got paid.

One of the biggest disappointments of the season has been McLaurin's injury, which caused him to miss four games, and now he absolutely must produce on the field like he was expected to with his return on Monday night.

Terry McLaurin is back, but now he needs to produce

It's been a nightmare of a season for McLaurin, who has only played in 11 quarters through eight weeks, and only two games with Daniels. He was paid to be the X-Factor of offense, but he's been the missing piece instead. You can't control injuries, especially on an effort play where he stretched out for the touchdown, but it's still an unfortunate situation.

McLaurin only has 10 catches for 149 yards, and he's still trying to find the endzone for the first time this season. His lone deep pass actually came from Marcus Mariota, who will be starting Monday night, so hopefully he can hit the ground running in his first game back. We aren't sure what to expect in his return, and coming back from injury can be tough, according to offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.

"I think it's never easy when you have an extended amount of time off," Kingsbury said. "Just building the rapport with the quarterback, any of the new wrinkles we put in the offense, things of that nature. But I expect him to pick back up quickly once he is out there full-time. I think being in year two of the system, he at least had a pretty solid understanding of it. And so now it's just about getting his legs back in his win back and just getting a lot more reps for the quarterbacks.”