ASHBURN, Va. -- This is what Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin has waited on for five years. Jayden Daniels might be quarterback No. 11 for McLaurin, but he also might be the first to stick around for a while. So whenever Daniels tosses him a back shoulder throw at the exact spot he said he'd throw it, or when he hits him in stride with another dart, McLaurin can only smile.
"It's hard not to be excited," McLaurin said.
In his first five years in the NFL, McLaurin has played with just one quarterback who posted a QB rating above the league average (53.9) over that period: Kyle Allen at 68.2. Allen started four games in 2020 and got hurt.
Beyond that, he has played with the likes of Taylor Heinicke , Alex Smith, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Carson Wentz , Sam Howell -- last season's starter -- Case Keenum , Colt McCoy , Dwayne Haskins and, for one game, Garrett Gilbert .
Those 10 quarterbacks have started a combined 19 games since leaving Washington, with two -- Smith and Fitzpatrick -- having never played again.
Through it all, McLaurin -- a third-round pick in 2019 -- has produced. He has topped 1,000 yards in each of the past four seasons and ranks 20th in receiving yards per game since entering the league.
"It's a unique situation," McLaurin said. "I learned pretty quickly that you can't really put your focus on who's going to be back there [at quarterback]."
Enter Daniels, who could finally give him what he wants most: a chance to grow with a quarterback.
"Definitely trying not to put the cart before the horse," McLaurin said. "But he's come in and just been so prepared. I've played with a lot of first-time quarterbacks, and he plays like this is not going to be his first time playing in this league."
McLaurin has seen receivers on other teams develop a chemistry with a quarterback, altering routes based on coverages without needing to communicate as a result of their connection.
"The receiver position is a very dependent position, and the continuity and the connection with the quarterback and receiver is extremely important," McLaurin said. "You would like to have that longevity so you could build that connection so you're not starting from Day 1 every time, but I've learned to roll with it."
Commanders receivers coach Bobby Engram can relate. He played with eight different starting quarterbacks in his first five seasons as a receiver with the Chicago Bears . Then, he spent the next eight years with Seattle, where Matt Hasselbeck was the starter.
"There's a constant evolution," Engram said. "... You're on the proverbial same page. If you see a look, he knows what I'm thinking. I know what he's thinking without even having to communicate."
Engram likes what he has seen from McLaurin and Daniels.
"Constant progression is the thing that you really want to see," Engram said. "And I'm pleased with seeing that out here. I think [as a receiver] you have to do your job. If you're getting open and you're where you're supposed to be, those guys are professional and they're going to get you the ball. So I think it starts there."
Constant communication with Daniels has added to McLaurin's optimism. They have discussed ball placement and where Daniels wants to throw against certain coverages.
"It just helps a lot when you have a guy who understands that and you're able to hit it on the first time. There hasn't been too many reps we had where it's like, 'Ah, we don't like that. We got to get it again,'" McLaurin said. "So you just want to continue to try to see the ball thrown and caught and talk through the little things that we need to."
"Terry's an exceptional player," Daniels said. "Obviously, he made a name for himself in this league, so to be able to build a rapport with him, the other receivers, the offense as a whole, and have us as a tight-knit group so we could go out there and we could go compete, have fun and everybody could be on the same page."
Washington coach Dan Quinn, who built his reputation coaching defense, knows how difficult a great QB-wide receiver combo can be to stop. As coach of the Atlanta Falcons from 2015-2020, he had quarterback Matt Ryan and receiver Julio Jones -- one of the most prolific combos at the time.
"Not all routes thrown to somebody are the same," Quinn said. "I probably learned that during my time in Atlanta. Terry has some of those same things. The deep ball to him isn't the same as the next one. So, that type of connection certainly matters. The other part [is] that it can happen in a game, a look, a quick signal. Those are the times that you've spent a lot of time and hours together. So yeah, it's very cool to see that connection go. Terry's such a pro. It's been excellent for Jayden to have a person like Terry to lean into."
For the first time, McLaurin enters the season without thinking he's playing with a temporary solution at quarterback. At times during training camp, he has been animated after a catch in part because of what it portends for the future.
On one play, he ran a fade from the slot, making sure to give Daniels room for a back-shoulder throw. Daniels completed the pass. McLaurin celebrated -- the play and, perhaps, the future.
"It just helps a lot when you have a guy who understands that," McLaurin said of the play, "and you're able to hit it on the first time."
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