At least the Washington Commanders found one reason to use wide receiver and draft bust Luke McCaffrey this season.
After spending most of the season on the healthy/inactives list, the Commanders named McCaffrey the 3rd quarterback option in a critical Week 5 game against the first-place New York Giants.
“Washington didn’t sign Sam Hartman to the 53, so it’s Jayden Daniels and Athan Kaliakmanis at QB,” Commanders reporter Luke Standig wrote on his official X account on Sunday. “Luke McCaffrey is next up if all goes wrong. Colson Yankoff had that role last week with McCaffrey inactive.”
McCaffrey has been active for just one game so far this season—a win over the Seattle Seahawks in Week 3 — but has no receptions.
Daniels is back in the lineup against the Giants after missing the last 2 games with a dislocated elbow suffered in Week 2 against the Cowboys.
Commanders Wasted 3rd-Round Pick on McCaffrey
Even for a 3rd-round pick, McCaffrey has underperformed through his 1st 3 seasons.
By the time the Commanders needed to make decisions on their 53-man roster, many thought he was on his way out.
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.”
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.
Commanders’ Little-Used Wide Receiver Named 3rd QB Option