One of the more pleasant surprises from the first quarter of the Washington Commanders’ season is the emergence of second-year wide receiver Luke McCaffrey. Two weeks ago, in Washington’s 41-24 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, McCaffrey caught three passes for 56 yards, including a 43-yard touchdown — his first NFL touchdown.
McCaffrey’s three catches came after star wide receiver Terry McLaurin departed the game in the third quarter with a quad injury. Last week, McCaffrey caught a five-yard touchdown pass in the loss to the Atlanta Falcons. He also helped set up another score with a long kickoff return. Overall, McCaffey finished the game with 199 kickoff return yards, averaging over 33 yards per return.
So, while McCaffrey hasn’t come close to his first career 100-yard game, his continued progression is encouraging. It’s also catching the eyes of coaches and teammates.
“I love the fact that the opportunity’s there for him to dig in some more, and like he’s taken advantage of it, whether that’s on offense or on the return game, head coach Dan Quinn said this week. “He’s got a fearless side to him as a returner, which, in this day and age, in terms of the kickoff return, you have to do that.”
Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury has taken notice of McCaffrey, too.
“I think just understanding the position in our system,” Kingsbury said. “I said it last year, we asked him to play inside and outside as a rookie, which is not easy to learn both. And I think year two it’s all slowed down for him a lot. He works really hard at it. He’s a very smart football player, very, self-conscious in everything he does. And I just think the confidence from going through that last year has really helped him this year.”
McLaurin and Noah Brown are out again for Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers. That means more work for McCaffrey against one of the NFL’s top defenses. The Commanders should get a boost with the return of quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Washington received some good news on Friday, when Deebo Samuel was cleared to play on Sunday. Samuel has been the Commanders’ top receiver this season, also returning kickoffs with McCaffrey. You can count Samuel among McCaffrey’s biggest fans.
“I’ve seen him going through OTAs to now,” Samuel said. “And he’s been as consistent as you can get, and it’s starting to show.”
Do you remember when McCaffrey was on his way to the end zone in Week 3? Samuel, who was on the sideline at the time, was caught on camera racing down the sideline screaming McCaffrey’s name to meet him in the end zone. McCaffrey’s teammates see the work he puts in and are happy to see him beginning to achieve results.
The next step for McCaffrey: earn the trust of Daniels.