Commanders Made Key Change to Fix Terry McLaurin’s Role

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Washington Commanders' offensive coordinator David Blough made a key change to help wide receiver Terry McLaurin return to dominance in Week 3. Getty

Terry McLaurin

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was starved of catches to start the 2026 NFL season, so the Washington Commanders made a key change to get their No. 1 wide receiver more involved, and it worked beautifully during the epic upset of the Seattle Seahawks in Week 3.

McLaurin reeled in one of backup quarterback Marcus Mariota’s three touchdown passes during the Commanders’ 33-31 win at Northwest Stadium on Sunday, September 27. The play not only showed how Commanders’ offensive coordinator David Blough is adjusting his schemes to help McLaurin, but also how the latter still has the talent to create something special in any situation.

In this case, McLaurin ad-libbed a route adjustment to give Mariota a deep target in the end zone. The change of plan worked to perfection, but the original design reveals how the Commanders intend to keep McLaurin involved, even if injured starter Jayden Daniels returns sooner than expected to replace Mariota.

Key Changes Helped Terry McLaurin Return to Dominance

McLaurin was missing in action earlier in the season, but he looked like his dominant self against the Seahawks. ‘Scary Terry’ burned the league’s toughest defense for 77 yards on six catches from nine targets, but the 30-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter was his best play.

This scoring grab worked out better than intended, according to Commanders.com Senior Writer Zach Selby. He explained how the Commanders’ Week 1 and 2 opponents, “the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys utilized cloud coverage against McLaurin, meaning the cornerback operates closer to the line of scrimmage while a safety covers the deeper part of the field.”

Blough adjusted against the Seahawks by introducing “a pinch route — ‘kind of like a 12-yard curl,’ McLaurin said — and that was what McLaurin was supposed to run on the play.”

The plan had already working well enough for McLaurin to make his own adjustment. He “ended up beating cornerback Josh Jobe so cleanly that it made more sense for him to run a go route. McLaurin trusted that Mariota would recognize the change, and sure enough, the quarterback put the ball in a spot where only McLaurin could make the catch.”

You can go off-script when a five-time 1,000-yard receiver trusts his quarterback. McLaurin built trust with Mariota because Daniels’ backup kept on looking for No. 17 in passing situations.

Marcus Mariota Helped Commanders Get Back to Basics

Blough’s introduced a lot of new concepts to Washington’s offense. Things like under-center and play-action designs, but the core principle should remain the same: Get the ball to the best playmakers.

McLaurin is still one of those and he benefitted from Mariota’s back-to-basics approach. The 32-year-old saved his deception for the Seahawks, but Mariota kept things straightforward when distributing the ball.

Straightforward meant looking for McLaurin early and often. It was a familiar route to success, since, as ESPN’s John Keim pointed out, “Entering today, Marcus Mariota had a 98.1 QBR (out of 100) when targeting McLaurin. Today: 4 targets, 4 catches, 65 yards and a TD.”

Those numbers show the efficiency the Commanders can achieve if they continue targeting McLaurin. It wasn’t happening with Daniels in the lineup, but whoever plays quarterback for Blough against the Indianapolis Colts at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in Week 4 needs to trust McLaurin will keep getting open running his new route.

This article was originally published on HEAVY

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