The Washington Commanders continue to come to work without their No. 1 wide receiver, as Terry McLaurin still hasn’t agreed to a new deal with the franchise and isn’t taking part in practice; offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury feels the two-time Pro Bowler’s absence.
“There hasn’t been a ton of contact with him,” Kingsbury said about his communication with McLaurin during his Friday morning media availability. “He’s been here, but he’s been working with trainers, so until he gets back on the grass, that’s when we’ll start building that back up.”
McLaurin, who turns 30 in September, is entering the final season of a three-year, $68.4 million deal. On the receiver front, the Cincinnati Bengals signed wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase (four-year, $161 million extension) and Tee Higgins (four-year, $115 million deal) to new deals this offseason, while the New York Jets signed Garrett Wilson to a four-year, $130 million extension, among other high-priced receiver signings across the sport.
“I’m huge on walkthroughs, on practice, things like that, because until you get on the grass and actually do it and feel the timing, feel the depths, the routes and things of that nature, I don’t know exactly how much you can get out of that,” Kingsbury said. “So, I think we’re kind of at that point to where we need to start getting those guys, when they’re available, out there and jelling and seeing where we are as an offense.”
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Last season, McLaurin totaled 82 receptions for 1,096 yards and a career-high 13 touchdowns. He ranked 20th among wide receivers with a 79.2 overall grade, according to Pro Football Focus. McLaurin has totaled 1,000-plus receiving yards in each of the past five seasons, averaging 76.7 receptions for 1,063.2 yards and 6.3 touchdowns per season over his six-year NFL career (2019-24).
Kingsbury is entering his second season as Washington’s offensive coordinator under head coach Dan Quinn, with the franchise coming off a 12-5 campaign that saw it win a playoff game for the first time in 19 years and reach the NFC Championship Game for the first time since winning Super Bowl XXVI. Rookie quarterback and No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels won 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.
Washington hosts Cincinnati on Monday night in its Week 2 preseason game. The Commanders open the regular season at home against the NFC East-rival New York Giants on Sept. 7 (1 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app).
“To me, time on task together on the grass is really the only way that you can continue to build,” Kingsbury said.
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