The uncertainty at the wide receiver position for the Washington Commanders begins with disgruntled NFL All-Pro Terry McLaurin, who has requested a trade amidst a prolonged holdout.
That’s not where it ends, though. The uncertainty around McLaurin has a trickle down effect on the roster — one that now includes the Commanders signing UFL star wide receiver Braylon Sanders on August 1.
The Commanders have to at least begin to make minor moves toward a life without McLaurin, even if that just means adding depth in anticipation of the workload becoming way more spread out than anyone could have guessed.
“Source: The Commanders are signing WR Braylon Sanders,” 106.7 FM’s Grant Paulsen wrote on his official X account on August 1. “Sanders, 26, averaged 25 yards-per-catch for the @XFLDefenders this past season. He caught two passes for 17 yards with the Dolphins in his only NFL action back in 2022. He spent time on the Patriots’ practice squad in 2024.”
Sanders’ College Career: Weird Timing in Oxford
Sanders had a very strange college career in terms of timing — he spent his entire time at Ole Miss as either the second or third option behind future NFL All-Pro A.J. Brown and future second round pick Elijah Moore.
While Brown and Moore rewrote the Rebels record books, Sanders picked up the scraps. He finished his career with 69 receptions for 1,453 yards and 10 touchdowns in 47 games, which included a whopping 21.1 yards per catch.
Sanders had his best year in his final season with 29 receptions for 549 yards and 4 touchdowns in 12 games but went undrafted in 2022 despite running the 40-yard dash in 4.48 seconds at the NFL scouting combine.
“One-dimensional wideout with speed to burn but a history of injuries that halted any momentum during his career at Ole Miss,” NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote in 2022. ” … However, he has home-run potential and can draw additional safety help over the top. The injury background comes with a ‘buyer-beware’ sticker, but speed and talent matters. Sanders will get his shot to earn a back-end roster spot as a field-stretching backup.”
Sanders played for the Miami Dolphins in 2022 and 2023 and split time in 2024 with the Dolphins and New England Patriots but didn’t spend any time on the active roster.
McLaurin’s Holdout Mess Getting Uglier By Day
Heavy.com’s Lake Lewis put McLaurin’s role on the Commanders — within the team and entire fanbase — in stark perspective.
“Terry McLaurin, for years, has been the heart and soul of the Washington Commanders‘ offense, but recent reports of the star wide receiver requesting a trade have sent shockwaves through the NFL landscape,” Lewis wrote on August 1. “With training camp underway, his desire to leave does more than express personal frustration. It represents a bold negotiation tactic that many disgruntled stars have used to apply pressure on their teams.”
McLaurin is in the final season of the 3-year, $68.36 million contract extension he signed in June 2022. He’s due to make $19.5 million in 2025 and coming off the best season of his pro career with 82 receptions for 1,096 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2024 as he earned NFL All-Pro honors for the first time.
He’s reportedly seeking a deal that would make him one of the NFL’s highest paid wide receivers at upwards of $30 million per season.
