Terry McLaurin isn’t the question mark for the Washington Commanders’ wide receiver room this summer. Everyone else is.
McLaurin enters training camp locked in as Washington’s clear WR1, healthy and reporting in good shape after an injury-shortened 2025 season. New offensive coordinator David Blough has already said he wants to get his top receiver 10 targets a game, according to Hogs Haven. That part of the depth chart isn’t in doubt.
The No. 2 job is a different story. Washington head coach Dan Quinn has made clear the competition behind McLaurin remains unsettled, and multiple outlets covering camp this week say a real battle is underway.
Third-round rookie Antonio Williams, out of Clemson, has emerged as an early favorite for that role, according to Athlon Sports. General manager Adam Peters targeted Williams for his route running and short-area quickness — traits that project him as a natural fit in the slot, in the mold of a player like Wes Welker. Williams caught 55 passes for 604 yards and four touchdowns at Clemson last season, and posted a 4.41-second 40-yard dash at the combine.
He’s not alone in the race. Luke McCaffrey, Treylon Burks, Dyami Brown and free-agent addition Van Jefferson are all pushing for reps, and RotoWire projects Williams’ most direct competition for early camp snaps comes from McCaffrey, who is working back from a collarbone injury that ended his 2025 season early.
| Receiver | 2025 Production | Camp Role |
|---|---|---|
| Terry McLaurin | 38 catches, 582 yards, 3 TD (10 games) | WR1 |
| Antonio Williams (rookie) | 55 catches, 604 yards, 4 TD (Clemson) | Competing for WR2/slot |
| Luke McCaffrey | Injured Week 9, 3 TD prior | Competing for WR2/slot |
| Dyami Brown | 20 catches (Jacksonville) | Competing for depth spot |
| Van Jefferson | 29 catches, 350 yards (Tennessee) | Competing for depth spot |
McLaurin, for his part, sounds unbothered by the uncertainty. Speaking with ESPN’s John Keim, the two-time Pro Bowler said he trusts the room to sort itself out once camp gets rolling.
“I have a lot of confidence in the guys that we have in the room right now. Somebody’s going to step up,” McLaurin said, via NFL.com.
It’s a role McLaurin knows well. He walked into a similarly wide-open depth chart as a rookie in 2019 and responded by leading the team in every major receiving category — 58 catches, 919 yards and seven touchdowns. Whether Williams or anyone else in this year’s group can pull off something similar is the question Washington will spend the next month trying to answer.
There’s motivation for the front office to figure it out fast. Deebo Samuel and Zach Ertz, who combined to lead the team in catches a year ago, are no longer on the roster. No returning wide receiver other than McLaurin caught more than 20 passes last season. Tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo, who posted a career-best 56 receptions and 560 yards, gives Blough another reliable option in the passing game, but the Commanders are otherwise starting close to scratch behind their No. 1 receiver.
Washington’s approach so far has been volume, not a single addition — five different players brought in or retained to fight it out, rather than one clear answer signed in free agency. Camp practices will begin to sort out who actually wins the job before preseason games start.
