How Jayden Daniels can elevate Commanders receiving duo

In a draft class where six quarterbacks were selected in the first round, the Washington Commanders selected Jayden Daniels with the second overall pick. Daniels is the defending Heisman Trophy winner after having an all-time great season at LSU.

Daniels thrived with his receiving duo of Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr., both of whom were first-round selections. Now at the professional level, Daniels is presented with a new duo in the form of Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson. 

It will be beneficial for Daniels to have proven talent to throw to from day one, but these receivers may be the biggest benefactors of the situation.

Terry McLaurin

McLaurin, 28, has been a reliable option since the day he set foot on an NFL field. He’s started in every game he's played since being drafted in 2019, leading the team in receiving yards each season.

He’s broken the 1,000-yard mark in four consecutive seasons, only falling short in his rookie year, where he ended with 919 receiving yards. The former Ohio State Buckeye was named to the Pro Bowl in 2022.

The most impressive aspect of all of this for McLaurin is how he’s found success despite the team’s lack of stability at the quarterback position. Washington has had a carousel of signal-callers since McLaurin’s arrival, never settling on one for long.

The addition of Daniels will now flip the script for McLaurin. Assuming all goes well, the Commanders now have a quarterback in place for the foreseeable future, and a good one at that. Daniels is revered for his deep-ball accuracy, which pairs perfectly with McLaurin’s downfield skills.

The last piece of this puzzle is the addition of Kliff Kingsbury as the offensive coordinator. Kingsbury loves to air the football out, meaning Daniels will see plenty of opportunities to send missiles McLaurin’s way. Success in this regard will stretch the field, opening the door for their second option to make his mark as well.

Jahan Dotson

A fresher face in Washington, Dotson was selected with the 16th overall pick in the 2022 draft. Many viewed it as an unnecessary pick given the presence of McLaurin. The Commanders front office clearly felt otherwise, hoping to form an elite receiving duo.

Dotson, 24, was praised for his agility and route running coming out of Penn State. Now two years deep into his NFL career, we’ve yet to see the production you’d expect from a player selected so early in the draft.

This could all change in year three if Daniels performs well in his new environment. More opportunities for McLaurin down the field likely means more work for Dotson underneath. Washington also lost Curtis Samuel in free agency, meaning the WR2 spot should be firmly in Dotson’s grasp.

While Dotson has yet to break 50 catches or 600 yards on a season, all signs point toward a career year for the New Jersey native. He even noted before the draft that he was hoping to get Daniels as a teammate in the near future.

There have been plenty of occasions where a rookie quarterback breathed new life into an organization. It remains to be seen what Daniels can do for the Commanders (4-13 in 2023-24) as a whole, but he’ll work wonders for this pass-catching duo.