Terry McLaurin accounting for eight catches and 39 yards by means of the primary two video games of the season made it look as if the Washington Commanders weren’t utilizing their highest-paid participant sufficient.
Now, almost midway by means of quarterback Jayden Daniels’ rookie 12 months, McLaurin ranks fourth within the NFL with 579 yards receiving and is on tempo for the most efficient season of his skilled profession. He and the crew are 6-2 for the primary time since he entered the league in 2019, and there is a likelihood McLaurin will get the ball much more within the second half because the Commanders chase a playoff spot.
“Each recreation with a man like that you just come out of it saying, ‘I want we may have gotten it to him extra,'” offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury mentioned Thursday. “He is a man, you need to be sure that each week, if the cash’s on the desk, the ball’s going to him.”
Early on and for lengthy stretches in video games, the ball is not going to McLaurin. Daniels tried throwing the ball to Washington’s high receiver eight instances in Week 2, and it didn’t quantity to a lot.
What has been the distinction since? In McLaurin’s thoughts, “Endurance.”
“Simply having some persistence and trusting that the work that we have been placing in because the offseason goes to begin exhibiting,” McLaurin mentioned. “Endurance has been the important thing. Clearly, Jayden has are available much more prepared than most as a rookie, however on the identical time, there’s nonetheless clearly a studying curve.”
Daniels is studying shortly, and he has emerged because the heavy favourite to be AP Offensive Rookie of the 12 months. Regardless of solely a handful of video games of expertise at this degree, the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner appears to have discovered a stability in not forcing throws to McLaurin.
“When the protection permits it — that is how I do know when to offer him the ball,” Daniels mentioned.
Eighteen completely different receivers have been focused greater than McLaurin this season, however the 29-year-old who has performed with a dozen QBs throughout his time in Washington will not be one to make a scene about demanding extra consideration.
“He by no means asks for it, Kingsbury mentioned. “He by no means comes again and complains. He by no means will get on the quarterback. He simply does his job. And when that man is doing it like that and blocking and taking part in with out the ball, then everyone else goes to get in line, and that is type of the fantastic thing about him.”
That does not imply McLaurin, who’s making greater than $24 million, doesn’t need to be counted on. Fairly the other.
“I simply need to proceed to be the man for our offense, the place we want a play, they usually belief me to do this,” McLaurin mentioned. “It has been actually enjoyable taking part in with [Daniels] and the remainder of the receiver group that we’ve as a result of every week it looks like any person else is making a play to assist us win, so I do know it would not all fall on me.”
It was Noah Brown on Daniels’ Hail Mary landing to beat Chicago. However on the play instantly earlier than that, McLaurin caught a 13-yard cross and obtained out of bounds close to midfield to make all of it attainable.
That reception gave him 40 on the season and put the Ohio State product on observe to surpass 1,200 yards in a season for the primary time. It is no coincidence that is coming with Kingsbury now in control of the offense, which is the league’s third greatest and has scored the third-most factors.
“He is allowed me to actually open up part of my recreation that I at all times really feel prefer it’s been there, which is the deep balls down the sphere,” McLaurin mentioned. “With the ability to add that to our offense and my arsenal has been big for me individually, however as a collective group I believe we have achieved an excellent job of simply making an attempt to make performs down the sphere, and he’ll give us ample alternatives to do this.”
Reporting by The Related Press.
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