The Washington Commanders’ offensive play has been off-target for a significant part of the summer, but offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury is aware of the reason: Too many key players are absent, starting with wide receiver Terry McLaurin. With the season set to kick off in three weeks, they require more practice.
“Communication with him has been limited,” Kingsbury noted about McLaurin on Friday. “He’s present, yet he’s working with trainers, so it won’t be until he rejoins the practice field that we can start reintegrating him.”
McLaurin, who is looking for a contract extension, is among four crucial offensive players for the Commanders who have missed a considerable amount of time this summer. This has resulted in a drop-off in performance compared to last year’s camp. Other players are seizing the chance to showcase their skills, but Kingsbury is eager to see the first-choice lineup work in harmony. “We’re making progress,” Kingsbury mentioned about the offense. “Without some of these other components in place, we can’t accurately assess who we are… This is something we aim to resolve over the following three weeks.”
Last season, Washington’s offense placed fifth in scoring and seventh in total yards and has quarterback Jayden Daniels, the reigning offensive rookie of the year.
The Commanders acquired wide receiver Deebo Samuel and left tackle Laremy Tunsil and selected tackle Josh Conerly Jr. in the first round. However, this has not translated to a synchronized offense during the summer.
McLaurin was absent for the initial four days due to a holdout and was then added to the physically unable to perform list upon his return. Starting right guard Sam Cosmi is healing from a torn ACL; starting left guard Brandon Coleman limped off the field on August 2 and has yet to practice since.
“You’re missing your anticipated top two outside receivers as well as both expected inside players at guard,” Kingsbury remarked. “This will hinder your ability to bond or establish that connection until everyone is back on the field.”
The pivotal connection is between Daniels and McLaurin, who achieved a career-high in touchdown catches last season, scoring 13 touchdowns—12 from Daniels, who overall threw 25.
McLaurin held the second position in the NFL for total touchdown receptions and tied for red zone touchdowns with 10. Daniels registered a flawless Total QBR of 100 when targeting McLaurin in the red zone and an overall 90.6.
However, Kingsbury is not dwelling on last season’s achievements; he prioritizes hands-on experience over theoretical learning. “It’s about time spent practicing, and fortunately, they had last year to forge a strong rapport and chemistry, and Terry is familiar with our system going into Year 2, so this should hasten the process,” Kingsbury shared.”But to me, time on task together on the grass is really the only way that you can continue to build.”
