Where Does Washington Commanders Receiver Terry McLaurin Rate His Game the Lowest?

Speaking candidly about his on-field performance there's one spot the Washington Commanders star clearly wants to improve.

David Harrison | Jul 20, 2024

Jan 8, 2023; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin (17) runs with the ball for a touchdown as Dallas Cowboys linebacker Damone Clark (33) chases during the first quarter at FedExField. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

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Washington Commanders

Washington Commanders receiver Terry McLaurin has been through it, and that's putting it lightly.

Rotating starting quarterbacks, new offensive coordinators on a near-yearly basis, and franchise instability are all career killers for plenty of players. But the Commanders star has not only continued to thrive, having notched his fourth-straight 1,000 yard receiving season in 2023, he's kept a positive attitude and looked for ways to improve.

Speaking at the unveiling of Terry's Locker, stocked by UnitedHealthcare, his latest effort in the Washington D.C. community aimed at providing students at McKinley Middle School with in-school access to laundry facilities and other vital hygiene resources, McLaurin talked more about his goal of improving his yards after catch ability.

Washington Commanders receiver Terry McLaurin

"Yards after catch is something I've done well at certain times, but also part of my game that could really improve"
- Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders WR

"I remember coach (Dan) Quinn had us write down things that we wanted to get better at and rate certain skills of ours, and I was very honest with myself (on) a scale of 1 to 10, I gave myself a three (in yards after catch). Everything else I felt really confident it was a four or close to a five, but yards after catch is something I've done well at certain times, but also part of my game that could really improve," McLaurin said. "And if you look at the guys in the league who have high production, they're really good at yards after the catch. And I think first and foremost, it's the practice habits with it. I think it's the way that I'm trying to finish when I get the ball. I'm trying to set up our defenders going against the defense."

To McLaurin's point, of his 1,002 receiving yards in 2023, just 306 of them came after catches. That number ranked 46th in the NFL among all receivers and tight ends, and was 17th out of 20 who had as many targets as he did.

Only receivers Chris Godwin (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Michael Pittman Jr. (Indianapolis Colts), and tight end Evan Engram (Jacksonville Jaguars) had less yards after catch production with at least 130 targets.

As is everything in football, however, McLaurin isn't going to improve his yards after catch ability on his own. He's also looking at a more athletic Commanders defense to challenge him into finding ways to find open space.

"We have a really good defense and guys who are very athletic and make plays in open space. So if I'm taking a hitch, it's not just, okay, I'm catching the ball and running 10 yards. I'm trying to set up the defender to get a cutback lane, or I'm trying to use one of my blocks down the field," McLaurin continued. "It's just a certain mentality that I wanted to improve in and not let the first guy tackle me."

With training camp starting next week we'll get a front-row seat to McLaurin's improvements in that area as he, coach Quinn, and the Commanders defense all look to push the star receiver to even bigger heights in year six.

Stick with CommanderGameday and the Locked On Commanders podcast for more FREE coverage of the Washington Commanders throughout the 2024 season.

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Published Jul 20, 2024

DAVID HARRISON

David Harrison has covered the NFL since 2015 as a digital content creator in both written and audio media. He is the host of Locked On Commanders and a graduate of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. His previous career was as a Military Working Dog Handler for the United States Army. Contact David via email at david.w.harrison82@gmail.com or on Twitter @DHarrison82.