The Washington Commanders expected way more than they got from Luke McCaffrey as a rookie, but the 100th pick in the 2024 NFL draft remains a viable breakout candidate because he’s “improved” a vital connection.
Succeeding as a wide receiver on this Commanders team requires earning the trust of star quarterback Jayden Daniels, and McCaffrey is headed in that direction. He “understood what he needed to work on following his rookie season, and he did just that. During offseason practices, McCaffrey put those results on display as he demonstrated an improved understanding of the playbook and improved confidence,” according to Mike Jones of The Athletic.
Jones detailed how McCaffrey’s extra work meant “he played faster and more effectively. Having also improved his connection with quarterback Jayden Daniels, McCaffrey should make strides and carve out a meaningful role in 2025.”
A more meaningful role for McCaffrey would be timely when the Commanders are still no closer to resolving the future of Terry McLaurin. McCaffrey’s skill-set is different to the best traits of Daniels’ go-to receiver, but the younger wideout could be no less valuable if he establishes a niche in offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury’s playbook.
Luke McCaffrey Has Obvious Role for Commanders
Fortunately for McCaffrey, he offers skills the Commanders need. Specifically, the size and muscle to get open between the hashmarks.
The 6-foot-2, 198-pounder does this best from the slot. His production as a rookie was middling, but McCaffrey still proved he can move the chains when lined up inside, while NFL Network’s Brian Baldinger also saluted the converted quarterback’s “willingness to block.”
McCaffrey’s physicality separates him from many of the other receivers on the roster. Veteran pass-catchers like Noah Brown, Michael Gallup, as well as 5-foot-10, 196-pound rookie Jaylin Lane.
Playing from the slot is what distinguishes McCaffrey from McLaurin, who does his damage outside the numbers. Having McLaurin paid and ready to strike from the perimeter, while Deebo Samuel acts as a deluxe gadget player, leaving McCaffrey to take the slot, is the ideal pecking order among Commanders wide receivers.
It looks good on paper, but the plan will only work if McCaffrey makes strides. An underlying statistic indicates he will, but Kingsbury should also come up with a different way to use McCaffrey.
Commanders Can Get Creative With Luke McCaffrey
If Daniels wants a reason to trust McCaffrey, he should look no further than the pass-catcher’s natural ability to separate from coverage. Knowing how to get open is invaluable for any receiver, but McCaffrey’s time as a signal-caller also gave him a keen understanding of how the ball is released to target certain routes.
Those things can make McCaffrey a clutch safety valve for Daniels. Looking McCaffrey’s way whenever he’s lined up in the slot makes sense for Daniels, but one of the three ways he needs to improve is throwing to his left, so moving a QB-friendly target to that side more often would be smart.
Kingsbury could do it by tweaking how he uses McCaffrey in the running game. His talent for blocking means the former Rice standout needs to be on the field for running downs.
Stacking him closer to the line of scrimmage, similar to the way Bruce Arians once used Hines Ward and Larry Fitzgerald as bigger slot receivers, would increase McCaffrey’s chances of being a breakout contributor.
The tighter alignment would position McCaffrey to block for running backs more likely to travel behind newly arrived All-Pro left tackle Laremy Tunsil. A few runs with McCaffrey helping collapse the edge or absorbing would-be tacklers at the second level would lull defenses into letting him escape in the play-action passing game.
Play action was a key part of how Kingsbury designed an offense to ease Daniels’ transition as a rookie. It can be an even bigger feature of the scheme when matched to McCaffrey taking a different alignment.
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