While the Washington Commanders and NFL All-Pro wide receiver Terry McLaurin haggle over his new contract extension, we have all got to play a fun game of speculation on where McLaurin might end up if things totally fall apart.
The Chargers! The Steelers! The Cardinals!
Logic tells us it’s a 99.9 percent certainty he stays put.
The Commanders only think they can win a Super Bowl in 2025 because McLaurin and quarterback Jayden Daniels came one game from getting them there in 2024. That they did so with a Bad News Bears-style roster on offense only lends more credence to them being even better in Year 2 together.
Fact: The Commanders don’t make it to the Super Bowl — or even get close — without McLaurin in the fold. That’s not even to mention the risk of pissing off Daniels this early in his career by taking away his favorite target, or the risk of hampering the second-year quarterback’s development in any way.
So, assuming McLaurin eventually does sign, we can safely say the Commanders did a damn good job improving the wide receiver position this offesason. Not only by making sure McLaurin sticks around (we think), but also by trading for NFL All-Pro wide receiver Deebo Samuel.
Like almost every team in the NFL — even contenders — the real minutiae comes to the WR3 spot. That’s where the Commanders might be able to make a big leap if they’re willing to go just a few steps further and sign free agent Tyler Boyd.
Boyd Could Be Major Upgrade at WR3
The Commanders currently have Noah Brown slotted to be their WR3 after he signed a 1-year, $3.25 million contract on March 13 — a deal not even big enough to guarantee he’ll make the 53-man roster.
Brown, the hero of last year’s Hail Maryland win over the Chicago Bears, is also coming off a pretty serious injury after he missed the final 6 games of the regular season and 3 playoff games with a core injury.
Boyd played 2024 with the Tennessee Titans on a 1-year, $2.4 million contract and finished the season with 39 receptions for 390 yards — a season in which he didn’t score a touchdown for the first time in his 9-year career. Boyd spent his first 8 seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, where he had consecutive 1,000-yard seasons in 2018 and 2019.
Over his nine year career, the 2016 second round pick (No. 55 overall) has 17-game averages of 69 receptions for 799 yards and 4 touchdowns, along with approximately $49.7 million in career earnings.
Boyd could also be a tremendous bargain, with a suggested starting point of a 1-year, $2 million offer that could go up another $1 million with incentives.
WR3 Candidates Currently on Commanders Roster
While Brown is a shaky option at WR3, the Commanders have tried to fill that spot through the NFL draft the last few years.
In 2024, the Commanders selected Luke McCaffrey in the third round (No. 100 overall) but he didn’t flash much potential as a rookie with just 18 receptions for 168 yards and no touchdowns.
In 2025, the Commanders drafted Virginia Tech’s Jaylin Lane in the fourth round (No. 128 overall), but there’s a greater likelihood he’ll be counted on to return kicks and punts more as a rookie to take the pressure off NFL All-Pro return specialist and backup running back Austin Ekeler, who suffered 2 serious concussions in 2024.
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