The Washington Commanders haven’t gotten much production out of star wide receiver Terry McLaurin through the first 3 games of the regular season, but whatever little momentum he may have been building up may have just been snatched away.
“Washington WR Terry McLaurin is uncertain to play Sunday vs. Atlanta due to his quad injury, per source,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on his official X account on September 23. “He still is seeking more information about the injury.”
McLaurin set the franchise record with 13 receiving touchdowns in 2024 and earned NFL All-Pro honors for the first time. He also had a lengthy contract holdout that kept him out of workouts and practices for almost the entire offseason and preseason and has just 10 receptions for 149 yards and no touchdowns through the first 3 games of the regular season.
While McLaurin eventually got a 3-year, $97 million contract extension on August 25, we may be seeing the results of his inactivity with the quad injury.
The Commanders are 2-1 headed into a Week 4 road game against the Atlanta Falcons and might also be without starting quarterback Jayden Daniels for the second consecutive game. Daniels missed a 41-24, Week 3 win over the Las Vegas Raiders with a knee injury.
With Marcus Mariota starting in place of Daniels, McLaurin had his best game of the season with 3 receptions for 74 yards.
“Commanders WR Terry McLaurin is getting additional opinions on the quad injury he suffered Sunday and his status for this week’s game at Atlanta is up in the air, per sources,” NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero wrote.
McLaurin’s Slow Start Was No Surprise
ESPN’s John Keim thinks reading too much into McLaurin’s struggles might be a mistake.
“The slow start was somewhat expected given that he missed all of training camp (in addition to OTA and minicamp practices) while holding out/in,” Keim wrote on September 17. “He’s receiving a similar number of targets as he did last year (6.88 in 2024; 6.5 in 2025) and he was getting open vs. Green Bay — but the Packers’ pass rush often negated chances. McLaurin is still getting open — when he runs a route after lining up wide left (his usual spot), he’s averaging 2.53 yards of separation compared with 2.63 last year. It’s a matter of time for McLaurin.”
That matter of time might be a little longer with any possible missed time.
“Terry McLaurin‘s productivity is climbing,” The Grant & Danny Show’s Danny Paulsen wrote on his official X account. “He’s gone for 27, 48 and 74 yards over the first three games of the season.”
One Of NFL’s Most Durable Wide Receivers
McLaurin has been one of the NFL’s most durable wide receivers since the Commanders drafted him out in the third round (No. 76 overall) in the 2019 NFL draft.
In his first 6 NFL seasons, McLaurin has only missed 3 games and hasn’t missed a game since the 2020 season — a streak of 72 consecutive starts with regular season and postseason games combined.
While McLaurin leads the Commanders in receiving, a pair of former Pro Bowlers are right behind him with wide receiver Deebo Samuel (132 yards) and tight end Zach Ertz (128 yards).
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