The Washington Commanders haven't revealed much about offensive coordinator David Blough's new scheme, but we do know that it will involve a heavy dosage of Terry McLaurin.

Blough said in a February interview with WUSA9’s John Doran that Washington's offense is going to be "built around how do we get Terry 10 targets a game and get him explosive receptions after explosive receptions to kind of flip the field." It should not be a surprise that McLaurin, who ranks fifth on Washington's all-time receiving list, loves that idea, and so far, Blough has kept his promise.

"He told me that way back in February," McLaurin said Tuesday at a youth golf event. "He texted me that. Him and I have a really good relationship. He's been a man of his word."

Blough laid out some of the parameters for his new offense when he was promoted from the team's assistant quarterbacks coach three months ago. It sounds like while there will be some elements of the air raid style the Commanders used under Kliff Kingsbury, he will lean heavily on the concepts he learned during his stints with the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings under play callers Ben Johnson and Kevin O'Connell, respectively. That means having a more balanced plan for the running game and moving the quarterback under center to manufacture more effective play-action passes.

Blough's scheme will also involve moving receivers around the field with more regularity to create advantageous matchups. McLaurin, a third-round pick from 2019, has been Washington's most consistent weapon for the last seven years outside of the injury he sustained in 2025 that forced him to miss half the season. He has experience working in the slot and on the outside with five consecutive 1,000-yard seasons from 2020-24.

McLaurin hasn't often received 10 targets in a game; he's only reached the mark 21 times in 107 career games. If that's going to be a more regular occurrence in 2026, he still wants to earn that kind of attention. That means continuing to do what he's done throughout his career: proving himself each day by being a leader on and off the field and showing Blough he can be counted on to make plays.

"That's all I've been asking for," McLaurin said. "That's all I want -- to win games and have a big part of that. So I was definitely smiling when I saw that come across [my] phone."

Washington's offense, while still above league average in areas like yards per game on the ground, was not the potent unit it was in 2024, ranking 22nd in yards per game and 20th in first downs per game. Some of that can be blamed on the various injuries Washington sustained last season, particularly to McLaurin and quarterback Jayden Daniels. They were only on the field together in three games, and Daniels only threw to McLaurin's 10 times for 116 yards. It was a serious departure from what the Commanders had in 2024, when McLaurin accounted for nearly a third of Daniels' passing yards and over half of his passing touchdowns.

That connection is going to be back in 2026, and the bigger emphasis on putting McLaurin and other players in motion more often is expected to help raise the entire unit's ceiling.

"There's going to be opportunities for me to take away coverage for Chig [Okonkwo] and for [Treylon Burks] and [Jacory Croskey-Merritt] and just so many other guys on our offense," McLaurin said. "I think that's cool when you have an offense that has multiple looks and formations that can make things look the same and marry together."

The Commanders' offense, regardless of the iteration, has been at its best when McLaurin is heavily involved in the game plan. Blough has been tasked with getting the unit back to being one of the best in the league, and it seems like he views prioritizing McLaurin as a key component to achieving that goal.