Terry McLaurin's future beyond the current campaign looks murky. Reports suggest this could be his final season with the Washington Commanders unless he leaves no doubt, but there is a long way to go and a lot to get through before general manager Adam Peters is forced to decide the wide receiver's fate.
That's for the future. For now, one Commanders analyst believes Washington is too reliant on McLaurin as things stand. And not even the potential arrival of Brandon Aiyuk will change that fact.
McLaurin is among the most consistent receivers anywhere in the league when fit and firing on all cylinders. But a year after 13 touchdowns and a second-team All-Pro selection, things didn't go nearly as well last time around.
Commanders are too reliant on Terry McLaurin in the wide receiver room
A long contract standoff was swiftly followed by McLaurin dealing with nagging injuries throughout the season. He's working hard to hit the ground running when preparations for the new campaign begin, but the stakes have been raised in no uncertain terms.
Grant Paulsen of 106.7 The Fan believes the signing of tight end Chig Okonkwo in free agency could help, but the Commanders don't have enough. He also thought that another McLaurin injury would leave Washington with one of the NFL's worst receiving corps.
"They do not have enough speed on offense, weapons on offense. [Chig] Okonkwo checks a box at tight end. But you are, to me, a [Terry] McLaurin injury away from having one of the worst skill position groups in the entire league."
This is a pretty fair assessment. It also won't be lost on Peters.
The Commanders are widely projected to add another wide receiver during the 2026 NFL Draft. Aiyuk is a hot name, but the San Francisco 49ers are dragging things out before eventually releasing him.
Considering how much football Aiyuk has missed over the last two years, relying on him to get back to his old form immediately would be foolish. Therefore, delving into the remaining veteran pool before OTAs is worth considering.
Peters has made 15 new signings so far. The Commanders still have a lot of salary-cap space to make additional moves. McLaurin is an outstanding player, already cemented as one of Washington's greatest-ever receivers, but he cannot do it by himself. It's also worth remembering that the Ohio State product is now on the wrong side of 30.
There are too many unknowns around Luke McCaffrey and Jaylin Lane. Van Jefferson Jr. and the returning Dyami Brown are depth pieces brought in to bolster competition for places. McLaurin is the glue holding it all together, but the Commanders would be wise to get another couple of capable performers into the mix in the not-too-distant future.
Anything less is organizational malpractice at this point.