Commanders News: Eric Bieniemy, Terry McLaurin, Rachad Wildgoose and QB battle
By Dean Jones
This is the tedious part of the NFL calendar year. Early offseason workouts are in the books, there is little in the way of free-agent or trade activity, and players aren't readily available for interviews as they get their last period of rest before training camp and the regular season.
It hasn't stopped the news cycle from rolling - far from it actually. Among the stories causing debate recently include the Commanders' upcoming quarterback battle, Terry McLaurin's consistency, Washington's best offseason move, and Rachad Wildgoose ranked among the league's best slot cornerbacks.
Let's delve into each topic in more detail.
Commanders WR Terry McLaurin's consistency praised
Doing more with less has been the hallmark of Terry McLaurin's career with the Washington Commanders. The wide receiver has been a revelation despite having no consistent quarterback play, which is something that can hopefully change in 2023 with Sam Howell or Jacoby Brissett under center.
This was further recognized by Nick Shook from Around the NFL, who ranked McLaurin at No. 10 in Next Gen Stats' catch rate over the expected metric. The writer also highlighted the former Ohio State star's reliability and the strides he could make with better distribution from his signal-caller.
"Consider also that Washington's QBs combined to post a 103.9 passer rating when targeting McLaurin, 20.2 points higher than they did when targeting other players on the team (83.7). McLaurin is as reliable as the rising and setting of the sun. And if he ever gets a legitimately good quarterback to play with in Washington, we might see that he's only been scratching the surface of his potential."
- Nick Shook, NFL.com
McLaurin is sick of losing and underachievement like every fan. But with Howell manning the plate and Eric Bienieny calling plays, the Commanders might be on the up at long last.