For all of the stellar work the Washington Commanders have done putting together a legitimate Super Bowl contender this offseason, it could all seemingly be undone by the absence of just one player.
Ask yourself: Are the Commanders still a Super Bowl contender without NFL All-Pro wide receiver Terry McLaurin?
The main thing to consider if McLaurin doesn’t play for the Commanders again because of a trade or misses regular season games due to a prolonged contract holdout is the WR1 option without McLaurin becomes former NFL All-Pro Deebo Samuel.
It’s not a role Samuel seems suited for at this point in his career.
“Samuel is just not a Wide Receiver 1,” ESPN’s Kevin Clark said on “First Take” on August 1. “Everybody is uncomfortable with that. He’s a good second option, but if McLaurin isn’t there and they have to use Samuel there, the wide receivers are kind of done.”
Samuel Joins Commanders at Career Crossroads
Samuel is in his first season with the Commanders after the San Francisco 49ers traded him in exchange for a 2025 fifth round pick on March 1.
After the Commanders renegotiated Samuel’s contract to a 1-year, $17 million deal, Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton put him toward the top of his list of NFL players under the “Most Pressure” to perform in 2025. Samuel, who will have $81.7 million in career earnings after this season, is 3 years removed from his lone All-Pro and Pro Bowl season in 2021, when he had 1,770 yards from scrimmage and 14 touchdowns.
Samuel is coming off arguably the worst season of his career in 2024, when he had 806 yards and 4 touchdowns in 15 games. He also seemed out of shape.
Samuel hit a low point with an in game confrontation with long snapper Taybor Pepper and kicker Jake Moody after a missed field goal that turned physical.
“In Washington, Samuel can again show off his unique playmaking ability at an optimal level,” Moton wrote on July 16. “As a wide receiver who took handoffs out of the 49ers’ backfield, he called himself a ‘wideback.’ Even if the Commanders mend their contractual differences with (Terry) McLaurin, Samuel must be a reliable complementary option in the aerial attack.”
What Commanders Have Beyond Samuel
Even if McLaurin plays, the best receiving option for the Commanders might not even be Samuel – it’s probably veteran tight end Zach Ertz.
The Commanders pulled Ertz off the NFL scrapheap in 2024 with a 1-year, $3 million contract and watched him go off for 66 receptions for 654 yards and 7 touchdowns — more than his previous 2 seasons combined with the Arizona Cardinals. Ertz is back on a 1-year, $6 million contract for 2025 but also turns 35 years old in November.
Beyond Ertz, the Commanders have a smorgasbord of guys led by second year wide receiver Luke McCaffrey, journeyman wide receiver and Hail Maryland hero Noah Brown, who is coming off a serious core injury, and rookie fourth round pick Jaylin Lane.
Lane might actually have more value to the Commanders as a return specialist, which would allow veteran Austin Ekeler to focus his efforts on his duties at running back.
