Who is the answer to Commanders questions at WR in 2026?

The Athletic (paywall)

For Terry McLaurin and the Commanders, the joy of football is back

McLaurin has always been a leader of Washington’s offense and the team overall. But his play and his demeanor have been noticeably infectious so far this offseason. It was seen in the early portion of practice, when McLaurin prepared the same way he always has by catching dozens of balls up high, down low and over his shoulder along the sideline to reinforce his eye-tracking.

Advertisement

After practice, he was on the Jugs machine doing more of the same, catching passes on one knee, over a trash can and beyond his comfortable radius again and again and again.

“He sets the tone for the group,” offensive coordinator David Blough said.

The on-field rapport between McLaurin and Daniels in the early going of OTAs has stood out; Daniels connected with him on a deep ball last week during 7-on-7 that Quinn believes was a prime example of the work they’ve put in to refine their timing and communication.

But much of McLaurin’s renewed ardor is also tied to the Commanders’ new offensive scheme. Although McLaurin had success in Kliff Kingsbury’s system, Blough’s offense allows the receiver to move around more, playing inside and outside on both sides. Defenses can’t bank on McLaurin simply lining up on the left side or playing primarily the “X” receiver split out wide.

Advertisement

The movement forces defense to play more “honest,” as McLaurin describes it.

“Just having those types of variations in your route tree is just an unbelievable weapon to have as a receiver,” he said. “And so now we’re just trying to home in on the details, be where we need to be to make sure that we’re on the same page with the quarterback. So it’s just been really fun and refreshing just to be able to be moved around all parts of the football field.”

From Commanders.com:

The Commanders need that version of McLaurin — both as a teacher and playmaker — for the 2026 season. They have a vision of getting back at least some of the success they had in 2024, and a motivated McLaurin helps make that reality. McLaurin has been that version of himself, and like the rest of the atmosphere around the team facility, it creates more confidence for what the team can accomplish in the fall.

Advertisement

“He is working incredibly hard, and every time he is out there, he’s making plays and showing the energy, the play style that we want to be all about,” Blough said. “So, he’s been excellent.”

From A to Z Sports:

Terry McLaurin’s career stats – McLaurin was selected in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft and quickly became one of the Commanders’ best players. Below are his stats since joining the NFL:

• Yards per reception: 14.0

• Accolades: 2x Pro Bowler, 1x Second-team All-Pro

Moving Terry McLaurin around can help Antonio Williams start faster

Williams, for his part, adds another layer to that equation. He projects as primarily a slot receiver, but he showed the ability to win from the outside at Clemson as well. His versatility, combined with McLaurin’s expanded usage, gives Blough the flexibility to create mismatches across the board rather than relying on one player in one spot.

Commanders Roundtable

Washington’s New Offense Could Be The Perfect Opportunity for Speedster Jaylin Lane

“I think Lane is taking that step that you’d hope to see a player take from year one to year two of what it can be,” Quinn told reporters Tuesday at Commanders Park. That’s not a throwaway line. When a head coach specifically singles out a second-year receiver by name in a room that includes a third-round draft pick and multiple veterans competing for reps, it means something showed up on the practice field that earned it.

Advertisement

The leap from year one to year two is where receivers either validate the pick or get buried on the depth chart. Lane’s combine profile hasn’t changed — the 4.34 speed, the 40-inch vertical, the 11-foot broad jump are all still there — but what shows up at OTAs has clearly evolved. Concentration was the knock on his rookie season. The drops weren’t about hands; they were about focus arriving late in the catch point. By all accounts from Ashburn this week, that isn’t the version of Lane showing up in June.

Blough’s system — built around pre-snap motion, RPO concepts, and getting athletes in space quickly — is tailor-made for a receiver with Lane’s profile. Short-to-intermediate throws that put the ball in his hands with room to run are exactly where his speed and elite change-of-direction ability become problems for defenses. He doesn’t need to win on vertical routes to be effective, although he has shown he can beat defenders down the field. He needs to catch the ball cleanly and do what he’s always done after the catch.

Lane’s versatility is also a key here. He can line up in the slot, split wide, work in motion pre-snap, and take jet sweeps off designed runs — all things Blough’s scheme uses to manufacture easy completions and stress defensive alignment. Lance Zierlein called him a “semi-versatile slot option with legitimate long speed and talent to add yardage with the ball in his hands” coming out of the draft. That description fits Blough’s offense better than it fits Kliff Kingsbury’s.

Riggo’s Rag

Wes Welker could make all the difference for Commanders’ rookie Antonio Williams

Head coach Dan Quinn’s staff looks a lot different from how it did in 2025. In addition to the laundry list of entirely new faces, several positional coaches were promoted into bigger roles with the franchise. One of those is Wes Welker, who goes from a personnel analyst to an offensive assistant.

Advertisement

He was a five-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro, leading the league in receptions on three different occasions during his 12-year career. Now, Tom Brady’s onetime favorite target seems to have found himself a protege.