McLaurin’s training camp holdout gives other Commanders receivers a chance to shine

Receiver Terry McLaurin missed the first practice of Washington Commanders training camp, but teammates and coaches aren’t worried. His absence has given the 11 other receivers on the roster a chance to shine.

McLaurin now faces $100,000 in fines for skipping the practice and Tuesday’s conditioning test. He’ll face an additional $50,000 fine for each practice missed as he negotiates a contract extension.

“That’s just business in the NFL,” Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels said after practice, noting that he has kept in touch with his favorite pass-catching target. “You know Terry’s working. We don’t really have to worry about him doing any of that. At the end of the day, he’s still one of our brothers.”

Without the Pro Bowler on hand, the Commanders have had the flexibility to experiment with their pass-catching combinations. Deebo Samuel, whom the Commanders added via trade with the San Francisco 49ers, started the McLaurin-less training camp with a bang.

On the first play of 11-on-11 drills, Daniels found Samuel 25 yards down the field for a touchdown. The pass couldn’t have been any better if the quarterback had handed the ball over point-blank. The throw found Samuel in stride, dropping just over the shoulder of defending safety Tyler Owens in the corner of the endzone.

Daniels and Samuel have been building a friendship in the four months since the former All-Pro receiver joined the Commanders. It shows.

“Start with building relationships outside of football. I try to connect with each and every guy in the locker room,” the second-year quarterback said. “That’s where it all starts. Then you’ll be able to move on the field and get to know how the guy works, the type of person he is.”

If a single training camp practice is any indication, Daniels’ strategy worked. The former Heisman Trophy winner said he embraced a similar plan with McLaurin ahead of last year’s rookie season.

The result was one of the most efficient rookie quarterback seasons of all time and a career resurgence for McLaurin, who had been anchored to subpar quarterback play throughout his first five seasons in Washington.

With a foundation laid for the relationship, Daniels isn’t worried about his connection with McLaurin fading during the holdout.

“If this was last year, it’d probably be different because we didn’t know each other,” the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year said. “But now, since we have a whole year under our belt … we don’t really have egos with each other, so it’s going to be seamless.”

Until McLaurin returns, Daniels will try to build similar bonds with receivers like K.J. Osborn and Chris Moore, who signed with Washington in the middle of last season.

The duo received kudos from coach Dan Quinn before Wednesday’s practice for the way they’ve hit the ground running this offseason.

“The speed, the energy, you felt it. Sometimes it can be difficult to be dropped off into a team in December,” he said. “To have a full offseason and now into training camp, I’m just as excited to see guys like that really take their stand and say, ‘Hey, I want to go fight for this,’ and I’m excited to see that.”

Moore took McLaurin’s place with the starters on Wednesday. The chance isn’t too big for the 32-year-old, who has bounced around the league after joining the Baltimore Ravens as a fourth-round pick in 2016.

“It’s just an opportunity for me,” Moore said. “It means a lot. But as a pro, you just got to come out here and work regardless of which opportunities there are.”

The Commanders have 12 receivers currently on the roster, including the recently signed Tay Moore. The regular-season roster will likely have room for six or seven of them. McLaurin, Samuel and McCaffrey are likely locks to make the final team alongside rookie receiver Jaylin Lane.

The remaining receivers are all fighting for the final few spots.

But Moore said he isn’t stressing about making the 53-man roster ahead of the season opener on Sept. 7 against the New York Giants.

“You just approach every camp the same; you got to come out here and work,” he said. “You don’t know what the season is going to hold, so you just come out here and attack every day one at a time.”

Moore hasn’t pulled in a highlight reel-worthy touchdown in training camp yet, but his quarterback is already noticing his effort.

“Just with him and how hard he works, always asking for extra work. If I need to make a couple throws after, he’s always there to catch,” Daniels said. “So, just the little stuff like that; the rapport is building daily, though.”