I'm back to answer more questions from the Washington Commanders' fan base, and it's a special gameday edition of the mail bag!

So, let's get into what fans want to know.

@DhaCuteOne: What are your thoughts on Bates, Sinnott and Yankoff in the receiving game if Okonkwo misses Sunday and potentially longer? One familiar face that has good chemistry with Jayden is Zach Ertz. Do you think the team would consider reuniting with him for a third season?

So, by now, it's well known that Chig Okonkwo will not be active for today's game against the Cowboys. Obviously, the Commanders would rather have Okonkwo on the field, but I think they should be okay with John Bates, Ben Sinnott and Colson Yankoff as their three options at the position in the passing game. To me, Bates' ability as a receiver is one of his most underrated traits. He doesn't get asked to do it that much because he's more successful as a blocker, but he has good hands and can make some athletic catches.

The same could be said for Yankoff. Let's not forget that Yankoff was a regular standout during training camp with the seemingly daily impressive catches he made working with all the Commanders' quarterbacks. He still has to do that in a game, but I think he's at least earned the right to prove himself.

Sinnott is the wild card here. There are a lot of fans eager to see him produce, and his coaches believe he made progress in camp. They also think he's going to be a better fit in the new offense because of how he moves in space. I can't say how the team feels about Ertz, but if the situation was right, I could see a world where they bring him back because of his relationship with Jayden Daniels. However, what I will say is that they like their tight ends on the roster, so I think it would take a lot for them to get to that point.

@LayTheSnaccdown: We saw Jayden continue to excel in that 4th quarter against Philly when passing more from the gun. Running looked great under center, but what do you think the main issue was with the pass game UC/do you think that's something we'll see improve more against a weaker Dallas d?

I think there are several factors here, but we'll start with the scheme itself. There were certainly some uneven parts of the game from the offense, but some of that is to be expected with a new system. You saw those growing pains in a lot of places, whether it was the drops from the receivers, the spacing on routes and some slightly off-target throws from Daniels. Those aren't excuses, but rather real factors that need to be, and will be, worked out in time.

There was also another factor at play: the Eagles do have one of the best secondaries in the league. I know it's early, but I expect there will be a lot offenses who have issues passing the ball against the Eagles. There simply wasn't a lot of space on a lot of the Commanders' passing plays, so Daniels made the right call and threw the ball away. I'm just speaking for myself here, but I would rather him do that than try to make a high-risk throw against a secondary that could pounce on the ball at any moment.

But to directly answer your question, I don't think what we saw against the Eagles is going to be a long-term issue. I do think the passing game is going to look better against the Cowboys. I have confidence the Commanders can smooth out their rough spots, and the Cowboys, who do run a similar defensive scheme to the Eagles, are experiencing growing pains on that side of the ball.

@loveflapjack__: Where do you think terrys role will stand for this game and do you think Dak will embarrass us or not have enough time to make deep play?

@F_r_e_d_L_e_e: Terry's last big target (14) game was in week 13 of last year. Can we expect him to reach that many targets again soon?

Let's talk about McLaurin's role first. I don't think anyone was happy with McLaurin's lack of receptions last week. Good things tend to happen when McLaurin gets the ball, and it's rare for him to only have one reception in a game. There are layers to his lack of production, though. For one, I'm going to point back to the fact that the Eagles have a great secondary. It was clear that the Eagles were not going to let McLaurin beat them, so they put a lot of attention on him. I don't care what kind of receiver is out there; the more defensive backs are focused on you, the harder it is to do your job.

The offense's struggles to stay on the field early also played a role. If the offense were able to get in a rhythm, McLaurin would obviously have more opportunities. What's more, and this is not to place the blame on any one person, but if some of the Commanders' other receivers were able to haul in some of their drops, then the Eagles would have been forced to move some of that attention they put on McLaurin back over to other players. But, like I said earlier, I don't foresee this to be a lingering issue going forward.

As for how many targets he'll get, I know that was something David Blough talked about in the offseason. I could see him hitting double-digit targets in games this season, but this offense has more weapons than it's had in a while. It might just depend on the game and the defense they're playing that week. But I will reiterate the point that good things tend to happen when McLaurin gets the ball, and I'm all for getting him the ball as much as possible.

And regarding the other question about Dak Prescott making deep plays, that's obviously going to be a point of emphasis this afternoon. I think it's all going to come down to the pass rush. If Odafe Oweh, K'Lavon Chaisson and blitzers like Sonny Styles can make Prescott uncomfortable, it's going to limit opportunities for the explosive plays that gave Washington problems last week.