There was little Washington Commanders wide receiver Luke McCaffrey did in 2024 to show he could be a competent NFL player.
The Commanders, in desperate need of wide receiver help, watched McCaffrey stumble to just 18 receptions for 168 yards and no touchdowns in 17 games during his rookie year, which included 4 starts.
He didn’t even make a single catch in 3 postseason games as the Commanders advanced to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 1991.
It seemed hardly worth what the Commanders spent to get McCaffrey on the roster with a third round pick (No. 100 overall) in the 2024 NFL draft.
In 2025, through the first 5 games, McCaffrey has seemed like a different player and has established himself as a key piece of the offense. He is fourth on the team in receiving with 7 receptions for 146 yards and 2 touchdowns headed into a Week 6 Monday Night Football game against the Chicago Bears.
In a much needed win over the Chargers in Week 5, McCaffrey set up a score with a 50-yard reception from fellow 2024 rookie Jayden Daniels.
Luke McCaffrey three weeks in a row showing why the Commanders staff have stayed consistently high on him,” Last of the Fullbacks wrote on its official X account on October 5. “A lot of potential in a guy still only in year 2 of learning to play WR full time.”
Legendary Football Family Includes Super Bowl Hero
McCaffrey, of course, comes from a famous football family that includes former NFL wide receiver and 3-time Super Bowl champion Ed McCaffrey, his father, and San Francisco 49ers running back and 2023 NFL Offensive Player of the Year Christian McCaffrey, his older brother.
“He’s got size, he’s got speed, he’s got great movement skills, and I think he’s only going to ascend,” Washington general manager Adam Peters told Commanders.com’s Zach Selby in May 2024.
Luke McCaffrey, 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds, spent the first three seasons of his college career as a quarterback — two seasons at Nebraska and one season at Rice — before becoming a star wide receiver for the Owls and turning himself into an NFL draft pick.
In two seasons catching passes in 2022 and 2023, McCaffrey had 129 receptions for 1,714 receiving yards and 19 touchdowns.
He had a breakout season in 2023, leading his team with 71 receptions for 992 receiving yards and a whopping 13 touchdowns along with 15 carries for 117 rushing yards on the way to All-American Athletic Conference honors.
Commanders Have Injury Issues on Offense
McCaffrey’s play has been even more critical this year as the Commanders have dealt with a myriad of injury issues at the skill positions.
Most notably, the Commanders didn’t have Daniels for 2 games due to a knee sprain but he returned in the win over the Chargers.
Fellow wide receivers Terry McLaurin and Noah Brown have also been hit hard by injuries. McLaurin has missed the last 2 games with a quad injury and it’s not clear when he’ll be back in the lineup after earning NFL All-Pro honors for the first time in 2024, when he set a franchise record with 13 touchdown receptions.
Brown had 35 receptions for 453 yards and 1 touchdown — the “Hail Maryland” catch — — in 10 games last season but hasn’t played since Week 2 with a groin injury.
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