Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin said Monday he looked forward to having pads on for the first time Tuesday.
“Oh, definitely because I, like, part of my game is, I like to run my routes physical as well,” McLaurin said. “And sometimes when you’re wearing jerseys it kind of allows you get grabbed a little bit more than you would like, but when you get the pads on, it’s easier to use your hands, throw guys by, run through their chest a little bit and be a little bit more physical.”
Matched up with rookie cornerback Emmanuel Forbes, McLaurin gets a clean release off the line and blows by Forbes. Quarterback Sam Howell drops one where only McLaurin can make a play — and McLaurin makes a diving catch, drawing applause from the crowd.
if terry has a million fans, i am one of them
if terry has ten fans, i am one of them
if terry has only one fan, then that is me
if terry has no fans, then that means i am no longer on earth
if the world is against terry, then i am against the world pic.twitter.com/nOa2krpfla— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) August 1, 2023
As the clip made its rounds on Twitter, former NFL wide receiver Torrey Smith saw it. While Smith was impressed with the catch, he thought Howell’s ball placement was “elite.”
Nice catch….but the ball placement was elite! That’s exactly where it has to be with the right amount of touch. https://t.co/p9Dgf3w9zl
— Torrey Smith (@TorreySmithWR) August 1, 2023
More praise for Howell.
McLaurin and Howell have a solid connection on the deep throws, despite only having played one game together.
After struggling for the past two practices, Washington’s offense took a step forward Monday against the defense.