Rookie receiver McLaurin one of team’s bright spots
ASHBURN, VA. — Terry McLaurin dropped the ball, and Donald Penn was incensed.
When the rookie receiver came back to the Washington Redskins huddle, the elder statesman of the offensive line lost his cool.
“Terry, come here,” Penn yelled. ”Terry, we need that. Catch the ball before you run with it.”
McLaurin didn’t get his back up about the criticism. He promised Penn he’d make up for the drop and did so the next time the ball went his way, a big gain that helped Washington beat Miami for its first victory of the season.
By that point, the third-round pick out of Ohio State already had two touchdown catches and proved to be a matchup nightmare to opposing defenses. But McLaurin has become the Redskins’ best offensive player after taking part in just five NFL games and is one of the few bright spots in a lost season because of a maturity beyond his years paired with a lot of talent.
“He is focused, he is high energy, he’s tuned in and nothing kind of gets by him,” interim coach Bill Callahan said Wednesday. “As he just continues to work diligently and he maintains his focus and shows continual improvement, the sky’s the limit for him. We’re just really happy for him and good to see him have the success he’s had this year and he’s really helped our offensive unit by a large stretch.”
McLaurin’s 23 catches, 408 yards and five touchdowns lead all rookies. He’s the first rookie receiver since Terry Glenn in 1996 with 50-plus yards receiving in each of his first five games.
This level of production is no surprise to the Redskins coaching staff or anyone who watched McLaurin in training camp. A handful of practices were enough evidence to show he was already better than (since released) 2016 firstround pick Josh Doctson and probably the best receiver on the team.
McLaurin wasn’t sure how big a role he’d have this season. It’s a big one and just keeps growing.
“I felt like I had a good chance of being a contributor on this offense,” McLaurin said. “And then when I stepped into the starting role, I knew my play needed to increase that much more. I felt like it’s continually changing and growing in that offense, and I feel like that’s because I’m giving our coaches and the quarterback a great sense of confidence in me.”
Case Keenum, who’s expected to again start at quarterback Sunday against the unbeaten San Francisco 49ers, called McLaurin a “very friendly target.” At 6 feet and 210 pounds, he’s not physically imposing but is meticulous in how he runs routes and believes it’s his job to make a quarterback’s job easier.
“He’s a special guy,” Keenum said. “He’s extremely talented and he’s friendly on the eyes as a quarterback. Just the body language he gives in and out of breaks, it makes sense. I know where he’s going to be at all times.”