Jayden Daniels wore a small smirk on his face as he sat down with reporters following the Washington Commanders' final practice before the start of the regular season. He just got his No. 1 receiver back, so he has good reason to be happy.
"I mean, I told y'all he was coming back soon," Daniels said. "So, I'm excited."
The Commanders and Pro Bowl wide receiver Terry McLaurin agreed to an extension after months of negotiations, ensuring that one of the best receivers in franchise history would remain a fixture of the offense for the foreseeable future. The next step is for Daniels and McLaurin to get back up to speed in the nine days between now and the team's season opener against the New York Giants, as McLaurin sat out of camp while also dealing with an ankle injury.
Neither Daniels nor McLaurin believe that will be a problem.
"Getting reps; that's the only thing we could really go with now," Daniels said. "We didn't have a whole camp, so...as many reps as possible."
Daniels' connection with McLaurin was one of the components that made the Commanders' offense run smoothly in 2024. The traits -- Daniels possessing pinpoint accuracy and anticipation, both on short yards and deeper throws downfield, and McLaurin's route running and ability to track deep balls -- were a natural fit dating back to last year's OTAs. McLaurin had a career year with 13 receiving touchdowns, while Daniels was one of the most accurate passers in the league and won Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.
"There's probably some complementary football that goes to one another," head coach Dan Quinn said of Daniels and McLaurin. "So, here's a guy that can really go and get on top of people and catch it over different shoulders on a deep ball, and a quarterback who's got the touch to do it. So, I think that's probably the biggest complementary piece of their games that they're able to support one another on two of the things that they both do really well."
The Commanders believe the connection between McLaurin and Daniels will be an important factor in their success once again this season, although they would have preferred it if the two had more time to get up to speed before Week 1. They had two practices together on Wednesday and Thursday, but McLaurin is still in the ramp-up stage of his "return to play" process. The Commanders also have the weekend off and won't practice again until Wednesday, giving them just three days of work together before the Giants come to Northwest Stadium on Sept. 7.
Daniels and McLaurin have some factors working in their favor. Despite not being on the field for most of camp, McLaurin was in all the meetings, so he's at least familiar with any new concepts the coaching staff wants to install this season. It also helps that McLaurin will catch passes from the same quarterback in consecutive seasons for the first time in his career, meaning that he doesn't have to spend time learning how Daniels likes routes to be run or where he wants receivers to be when he throws the ball.
Still, there will be some rust to dust off before kickoff in September, and the best way to do that is, as Daniels said, getting reps, and lots of them.
"That's what you'll see more with him and Terry," Quinn said. "Extra [reps] early, this specific route, this timing, because it's not all the same for every player."
Another trait that Daniels and McLaurin have in common: they don't shy away from getting extra work. McLaurin said there isn't anything "hindering" him to get ready for Week 1, but he also knows there is a difference in being in shape and being prepared to play in an NFL game.
"I know how to study and get ready," McLaurin said. "It's just being on the same page with Jayden, taking care of my body, getting right back in the cold tub after every practice, doing my dry needling, doing my rolling out at home, getting my massages, doing the chiropractor ... I'm going to do everything I can to be ready for that and to play as much as I can. And I trust the plan that's going to be in front of me to help me get there."
And the two already have a foundation in place. The Commanders posted a clip on their Instagram page of McLaurin catching a deep shot from Daniels during Wednesday's practice. It might take time for them to get as in sync as they were during last season, but if the clip is any indication of how things will play out over the next week, it won't take long.
"I don't think it ever leaves," Daniels said.
