Even for a 3rd-round pick, Washington Commanders wide receiver Luke McCaffrey has underperformed through his 1st 2 seasons.
Even at that, there was little belief McCaffrey would be anything but a green check mark on this year’s 53-man roster — despite his myriad shortcomings.
Not so fast.
McCaffrey suited up and played in the Commanders’ preseason finale on August 28 — an embarrassing 41-3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens — while 6 other wide receivers presumed to have already made the team sat on the sideline and watched.
Hogs Haven’s Scott Bair put out his final 53-man roster prediction on August 29 and left McCaffrey off. Bair’s model kept 6 wide receivers: Terry McLaurin, Stefon Diggs, rookie Antonio Williams, Jaylin Lane, Treylon Burks, and Dyami Brown.
“It’s very possible that I got swayed too much by Friday night’s preseason game,” Bair wrote. “Seeing Treylon Burks and Dyami Brown sit while Luke McCaffrey played changed my mind about this position group. Appropriately or not, I moved McCaffrey off the list at the last minute. Dan Quinn said some of the reasoning of who played Friday was about snaps coming off the joint practice. That didn’t change my mind. If that was all for show or to generate trade leverage for another receiver or McCaffrey simply was asked to play over others, then I’ll own it. The signs just seemed so clear on Friday night. I also originally had Jaden Bradley making it over a vet — you’ve gotta make a bold prediction somewhere — but I pulled that back and followed the breadcrumbs in this position group.”
Luke McCaffrey’s Lone Value on Special Teams
Through his 1st 2 seasons, McCaffrey’s lone value to the Commanders has been on special teams — he’s been a negligible factor on offense despite the team’s desperate need for pass catchers.
In 17 games as a rookie in 2024, including 4 starts, McCaffrey had just 18 receptions for 168 yards and no touchdowns. In 2025, McCaffrey missed the final 8 games of the regular season with a broken collarbone and finished with 11 receptions for 203 yards and 3 touchdowns in 9 games. His bigger impact was on special teams, as McCaffrey finished with 972 all-purpose yards after picking up over 700 yards on kick returns.
Legendary Football Family Includes Super Bowl Hero
McCaffrey, of course, comes from a famous football family that includes former NFL wide receiver and 3-time Super Bowl champion Ed McCaffrey, his father, and San Francisco 49ers running back and 2023 NFL Offensive Player of the Year Christian McCaffrey, his older brother.
“He’s got size, he’s got speed, he’s got great movement skills, and I think he’s only going to ascend,” Washington general manager Adam Peters told Commanders.com’s Zach Selby in May 2024.
Luke McCaffrey, 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds, spent the first three seasons of his college career as a quarterback — two seasons at Nebraska and one season at Rice — before becoming a star wide receiver for the Owls and turning himself into an NFL draft pick.
In two seasons catching passes in 2022 and 2023, McCaffrey had 129 receptions for 1,714 receiving yards and 19 touchdowns.
He had a breakout season in 2023, leading his team with 71 receptions for 992 receiving yards and a whopping 13 touchdowns, along with 15 carries for 117 rushing yards on the way to All-American Athletic Conference honors.
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