The Washington Commanders' offense has dealt with some inconsistencies through the first quarter of the NFL season. With quarterback Jayden Daniels missing two consecutive games and injuries to wide receivers Terry McLaurin and Noah Brown, it's been difficult for offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury to get in a schematic rhythm.

One of the constants within the offense has been Luke McCaffrey, who stepped into a larger role with McLaurin and Brown absent. Averaging 20.9 yards per catch, the second-year receiver is providing Daniels with a viable option.

It's a far cry from McCaffrey's rookie season, in which he took 419 offensive snaps across all 18 of the Commanders' regular-season games and recorded just 18 receptions for an average of 9.3 yards per catch. The third-round pick has nearly surpassed his own receiving yard total (168 yards) from last season with 146 total receiving yards coming into Week 6 against the Chicago Bears.

But McCaffrey doesn't see himself having a breakout season. He chalks up the improvements to natural growth and having fun on the football field.

"I don't know if I see that as like a big jump," McCaffrey said. "You know, a lot of people keep kind of using that word, I don't think that's the narrative in my head. I'm just enjoying the game, and I think everything is kind of a process of growth and learning."

Whether or not McCaffrey wants to put a label on his own maturation from his rookie season to now, the numbers don't lie. In 19 touches, McCaffrey leads all NFL wideouts in all-purpose yards per touch with 27.50 yards (minimum 15 touches). Through the first five games of the season, McCaffrey caught all but two of his nine targets, including two receiving touchdowns -- the first two of his NFL career -- and a career-long 50-yard reception against the Los Angeles Chargers in the Commanders' dominant 27-10 Week 5 win.

McCaffrey's coaches and teammates alike are also taking notice of his ability as an offensive threat.

"He just continues to get better and better, like we talked about," Kingsbury said during Thursday's media session. "I really liked how he came back; the attitude, the physical shape he was in and he has just taken it and run with it. It was a lot to ask him to play inside and outside last year. I think he's settled in now, and we have full confidence where we put him that he's going to go make a play. I know Jayden does, too, so that's been cool to see that connection and kind of grow in Year 2."

"He's more definitive getting in and out of his break, timing purposes also," Daniels added in his own Wednesday press conference. "Those are the kinds of things he had to learn as he, like I said, transitioned from quarterback to receiver. It's not easy, so he's been doing a really great job of honing his own skills and getting better and finding different ways to get better."

As Daniels shared, transitioning from quarterback to receiver is no easy feat. McCaffrey, however, is adept at adjusting to change. Two years his senior, McCaffrey's brother, Dylan, got the start at quarterback when the two overlapped at Valor Christian High School in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, forcing the younger McCaffrey to find a new role. He dabbled as a defensive back and wide receiver his first two years before ascending to starting quarterback after his brother's graduation.

The same kind of thing happened when McCaffrey started his college career in 2019 at Nebraska, backing up quarterback Adrian Martinez and taking snaps at running back before transferring to Rice University. It wasn't until after his first season in Houston during the 2022 spring practices that McCaffrey officially switched to the role of wide receiver.

"I think it was a pretty natural transition, and from there, and again it kind of just comes down to growing every single play and knowing how to do that," McCaffrey said. "I've been lucky enough to be around a lot of different really, really great people whether it was at Rice, at Nebraska or now here, and I think that helps so much."

Having been a receiver for just two years before being taken as the No. 100 overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, McCaffrey believes the mental acuity that comes from playing under center influences the way he plays receiver. He's able to see the nuances of the game from a quarterback's perspective while functioning as a wideout.

"I think it's a little bit different of a game because you have to train that mental part of it a lot," McCaffrey said of playing quarterback. "So, I think being able to take the quarterback mental part and transition it to receiver is cool because you kind of have that ability to focus, to lock in, and to kind of see everything but focus on one thing, and that's a lot of fun.

"There are certain things that you learn, like the trueness of certain matchups. I think you can know it from playing quarterback of, 'Oh that DB is taller, this DB is bigger,' and all that stuff but I think once you move to receiver, it kind of homes in on that and you kind of understand it on a different level. Just the speed of different guys, learning more than anything people's strengths."

The biggest skill McCaffrey has is adapting is his sight. He's more of a visual learner and much prefers to watch how other receivers operate rather than be told and likes to take a step back to watch and analyze how his teammates move on the field.

"I think there's nothing that's going to teach you more than just watching," McCaffrey said. "I think that's where I've learned the most in being able to observe and watch."

McCaffrey cited New England Patriots' Stefon Diggs and Seattle Seahawks' Cooper Kupp as two of the receivers he studied film on when he was first starting out in the position. He picked Diggs and Kupp specifically because they match his own listed 6-foot-2 height and 194-pound weight closely.

Last offseason, McCaffrey took his studying to the next level by trading in the tape for an in-person viewing session. He met up with Minnesota Vikings veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen for a workout in North Carolina. The two were connected by a shared treatment professional and McCaffrey appreciated Thielen's willingness to "help out somebody from a younger generation."

"He's an incredible person," McCaffrey said of Thielen. "It was super nice of him to help me out with that when I was in Charlotte at the time training, and he let me come to his house and watch him throw and stuff so I could get a feel."

The other confidence boost behind McCaffrey's success as a receiver is his work on special teams. Given his background as a quarterback, McCaffrey didn't have much experience on special teams outside of returning kicks. Since arriving in Washington, he's added kickoff and punt return snaps, in addition to kick return specialist, to his special teams repertoire.

"I think special teams has been something that's been such a blessing for me and it's such a fun part of the game that I probably didn't play a lot growing up," McCaffrey said. "I returned kicks and stuff in high school, so I've always had that element, but even kickoff and punt return and all that stuff, being able to be in that has been really fun for me. I think that in a young player it's good to just get the experience, to get the reps and kind of be able to showcase yourself in different aspects."

McCaffrey's biggest motivator is playing for those beside him. Since head coach Dan Quinn took the helm last season, brotherhood has been a central focus within the team's overall mantra of playing winning football. If he does his job every play on Sundays, he's helping those beside him reach their ultimate, shared goal of a Commanders win.

"When it comes to my mindset towards the game, a lot of it just has to do with focusing on what your job is and what your play is," McCaffrey said. "I think that's something that has really freed me up and I've gotten better at training my mind more than anything on how to focus and how to lock in. I think for me, part of that was putting everything into what are the controllables, how can I do my job and then I think when you look at the big picture, that's where brotherhood comes in. You're doing it for the person next to you, and you're trusting the person next to you, and I think it kind of comes down to all of that mindset wise and it frees you up a lot."