Terry McLaurin’s Early Season Struggles: Is Age and Offseason Absence Hurting His Performance?
While Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin spent the offseason trying to get more money, his teammates continued to work on their craft.
They worked on timing. They worked on route trees. They worked on winning games. They worked on chemistry.
And they did it all without McLaurin.
Now, we’re seeing the results — or lack thereof — from McLaurin’s extended “hold in” before he signed a massive 3-year, $97 million contract extension on August 25.
The 2024 NFL All-Pro has been a non-factor through Washington’s first 2 games, with just 7 receptions for 75 yards — putting him on track for less than 700 receiving yards after 5 consecutive seasons with over 1,000 yards.
ESPN’s John Keim thinks reading too much into McLaurin’s struggles might be a mistake, although the offense definitely looked like it was missing something in a 27-18, Week 2 loss to the Green Bay Packers.
“The slow start was somewhat expected given that he missed all of training camp (in addition to OTA and minicamp practices) while holding out/in,” Keim wrote on September 17. “He’s receiving a similar number of targets as he did last year (6.88 in 2024; 6.5 in 2025) and he was getting open vs. Green Bay — but the Packers’ pass rush often negated chances. McLaurin is still getting open — when he runs a route after lining up wide left (his usual spot), he’s averaging 2.53 yards of separation compared with 2.63 last year. It’s a matter of time for McLaurin.”
McLaurin’s Advanced Age Might Be Factor
One factor that needs to be considered in McLaurin’s slow start is his age, which was also a major factor in his stalled contract talks.
ESPN’s John Keim reported the franchise’s analytics department believed the 30-year-old was too old to receive another big payday. You know what’s harder to do as you get older? Spring back into game shape from long periods of inactivity.
“This likely remains the biggest sticking point because it frames the argument for Washington,” Keim wrote on August 13. “McLaurin will turn 30 on Sept. 15, which means he’d be 31 when an extension begins. The Commanders rely heavily on analytics, and the numbers aren’t kind to receivers at that age. According to ESPN Research, over the past five seasons only three receivers 31 years or older have played at least 10 games and averaged 70-plus receiving yards per game; six have averaged 60-plus.”
Daniels Struggles To Find Consistent Targets
Daniels has 3 touchdown passes in his first 2 games, with all of them going to veterans in wide receiver Deebo Samuel (2) and tight end Zach Ertz (1), who are also the team’s leaders in receiving yards.
It’s not hard to see something missing in Daniels’ game. He and McLaurin an instant, electric connection in 2024 but an offseason spent apart essentially stalled their growth. That’s on McLaurin.
Still, some were preaching patience. Some were not.
“Just a friendly reminder that Terry McLaurin was the WR65 through Week 2 last year,” Fantasy Football Expert Bryce DeGroat wrote on his official X account on September 18. “And he still finished as the WR7 overall. It’s very early in the season. Don’t get too high or too low on anyone just yet.”
Browns’ Offense Faces Terrifying Test Against Packers’ Elite Defense
CLEVELAND, Ohio — The brewing storm heading toward Cleveland this Sunday isn’t meteorological — it’s the Green Bay Packers’ ferocious pass rush that’s set to test the Browns’ struggling offense and their immobile 40-year-old quarterback.
Orange and Brown Talk podcast host Dan Labbe framed the central question haunting Browns fans: “How does (Joe Flacco) deal with that pressure and that defense that the Packers are bringing to town and is it going to look like it did Sunday or is he going to be able to get this figured out and maybe get rid of the ball a little quicker, not turn the football over, make better decisions? That’s going to be honestly probably the determining factor.”
The numbers tell a grim story. The Packers arrive with eight sacks (tied for second in the NFL), 18 quarterback hits (second in the NFL) and 33 pressures (among the league leaders). Their defense is clicking while Cleveland’s offense remains stuck in neutral.
Browns beat reporter Mary Kay Cabot didn’t mince words about the situation: “The Browns offense, the offensive line is going to have an enormous task trying to keep Joe Flacco upright in this game. And he’s also going to have to run those bootlegs and those keepers. The Browns are going to have to try to run the ball somehow, some way, however they can do it.”
What makes this matchup particularly concerning is the stark contrast between the two units. Green Bay’s defense appears in mid-season form while Cleveland’s offense is struggling with the fundamentals.
“I do think it’s in part because they conducted a four-way quarterback competition in camp,” Cabot added. “I do think that set back this offense in terms of continuity and cohesiveness. But it’s also just the fact that you are dealing with now a 40-year-old quarterback who really wasn’t supposed to be the starter for this football team this season.”
The Browns might need to get creative with jet sweeps, end-arounds, and jumbo packages to establish any offensive rhythm. But the elephant in the room remains the turnover battle — a statistic where these teams couldn’t be more different.
“I think the issue with this game specifically, and why I have a hard time seeing the formula to win is just because they have been turning the ball over,” said Browns beat reporter Ashley Bastock. “And there’s no way you’re gonna beat this team if you lose the turnover battle. You’re not gonna win most games if you lose the turnover battle.”
The Browns have now gone nine straight games losing the turnover battle, while the Packers consistently win that crucial statistical category. Cleveland hasn’t forced an interception since playing Denver last year, a streak that seems almost statistically impossible.
This matchup has all the makings of a perfect storm — an elite defense against a sputtering offense, a turnover-hungry team against a turnover-prone one, and an immobile quarterback against a relentless pass rush.
If there’s any silver lining, it’s that the NFL regularly produces unexpected results. As Bastock noted, “weird things happen in this league all the time.” The Browns will need every bit of that unpredictability to pull off what would be a shocking upset on Sunday.
