One of the primary themes after the Washington Commanders’ season-opening 24-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles was wide receiver Terry McLaurin’s lack of involvement. McLaurin finished the game with only two receptions for 14 yards on four targets. He didn’t catch his first pass until the fourth quarter, but it was when Washington needed it the most on a critical fourth down.
After the game, McLaurin was not concerned about the lack of targets. He knew they’d come. After all, the Eagles often rolled coverage to his side, forcing Jayden Daniels to look elsewhere in Week 1.
On Sunday, the Commanders faced the Dallas Cowboys in another NFC East road showdown. McLaurin finished with two receptions for 50 yards in Washington’s 37-20 loss. But he could’ve
had more. Much more.
Daniels threw a dime to McLaurin in the end zone in the first half, and it looked like a touchdown. However, upon further review, officials ruled that McLaurin didn’t complete the catch. Regardless, McLaurin made a terrific effort despite being double-covered.
On another play, McLaurin caught a pass for about 15 yards, but officials waived it off, calling him for a bogus offensive pass interference.
On the second-to-final play before halftime, Washington trailed Dallas 17-10, and Daniels threw a bullet to McLaurin in the back of the end zone. While still a difficult catch, it hit McLaurin’s hands and was one he probably should’ve come away with. On the next play, Daniels was injured, dislocating his left elbow — the same elbow he dislocated last season.
Daniels’ injury changed the game’s trajectory. However, the Commanders had more chances. On a slick play from offensive coordinator David Blough, rookie wide receiver Antonio Williams threw to a wide-open McLaurin in the end zone. McLaurin couldn’t turn his body around because the pass was behind him.
If we go by what could have been, McLaurin would’ve had multiple touchdowns and well over 100 yards. So, in two games this season, McLaurin has four receptions for 64 yards on 13 targets. Whether it’s his fault or not, McLaurin has caught only 30.8% of his targets, the lowest rate in the NFL among players with at least 10 targets.
Lowest catch rate % this season
— PFF (@PFF) September 21, 2026
(min. 10 targets)
Terry McLaurin 30.8% (4/13)
Xavier Hutchinson 42.9% (6/14)
D.K. Metcalf 44.4% (8/18)
Jameson Williams 50.0% (6/12)
Ted Hurst 50.0% (5/10) pic.twitter.com/hRXob8umKx
Is this a reason for concern? Has McLaurin lost a step?
Everyone should calm down. Those stats from Sunday’s game are a bit deceiving. While he was close to making more big plays, there were only two plays where you could really blame McLaurin, including the one just before halftime. He’s still in position to make these plays. He caught the first one in the end zone, but the ground helped knock the ball loose as he looked to complete the catch. On the pass from Williams, McLaurin made a valiant effort, but his body was going one direction while the pass was behind him. He still made it close.
Moving forward, the Commanders will not have Daniels, at least for this week. That means Marcus Mariota will start at quarterback, and he and McLaurin have frequently played together over the past couple of seasons. If he continues to catch 30% or less of his targets in multiple games ahead, then it may be time to be concerned. Until then, let things play out.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: What's going on with Commanders WR Terry McLaurin?
