Terry McLaurin has a running mate this season with the Washington Commanders, as Stefon Diggs looks to draw attention away from the wideout.
Last season, an injury limited McLaurin to 284 pass snaps, resulting in an 86.5 overall PFF grade. Moreover, he hauled in 38 receptions on 59 targets for 582 receiving yards and three touchdowns. McLaurin also averaged 15.3 yards per reception and generated 99 yards after the catch.
Nonetheless, now healthy and with someone like Diggs as a WR2, McLaurin spoke about how the two wideouts are benefiting from the veteran’s arrival as they look to bring out the best in one another.
“What I noticed about them right away is just that they’re so driven to perfect their craft,” McLaurin said in an Aug. 21 video on the Commanders’ YouTube channel. “I think I kind of think of that Spider-Man meme where they’re both pointing at each other and the same guy on the field. You know what I mean? Like, we play with extreme passion, a love for the game, leaders on the field, vocal, and just the energy that you play with is infectious not only to your group but your quarterback and your offense.
“So having a guy who’s like-minded like that, who’s played at the highest level, who’s been All-Pro, Pro Bowl, played in the biggest situations, that helps me to see also, measure myself up to where I am in my game, and I’m an elite player as well. So we’re constantly pushing each other: who could be more open, who’s finishing down the field. And so those are little nuances of the game that I noticed in him that really have helped me.”
Terry McLaurin Wants to Be a Leader Alongside Stefon Diggs
Last season for the New England Patriots, Diggs played 450 pass snaps, earning him an 87.5 overall PFF grade. The 32-year-old hauled in 85 receptions on 100 targets for 1,013 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Moreover, he averaged 11.9 yards per reception on the season and generated 363 yards after the catch.
Along with his production, Diggs will look to bring leadership to the young receivers, as he and McLaurin want to be references for the young players in their wide receiver room.
“I mean, we’re all trying to provide a life for ourselves and our family, live out our dreams,” McLaurin added. “So, any way I can add that wisdom, that experience to these guys, I’m going to do that. Having Diggs in our room definitely adds another guy with a lot of experience, plays at a high level. So, it’s heightened the floor and the ceiling of our room.
“There’s a lot of competition in that room. But the thing about receiver, I think everybody wants the ball, but the culture in our room is everybody’s not only happy to make a play for somebody else, whether that’s blocking down the field, but you’re happy to see the next guy make a play because we all want to eat.”
Commanders WR Stefon Diggs Can Still Produce
Despite being in his early 30s, Diggs can still produce and be a reliable option for Daniels this season, as Washington Post reporter Tashan Reed, who covers the Commanders, noted.
“I think even with Stefon being a little bit older and coming off the injury a couple years ago with the Texans, he’s still pretty good,” Reed said on the Aug. 21 edition of “NFL Spotlight With Ari Meirov.” “He had 1,000 yards last season with the Patriots despite not having that many targets compared to your typical No. 1 option.”
Commanders’ Terry McLaurin Makes Feelings Clear on Stefon Diggs