Washington Already Faced First Test of David Blough’s Terry McLaurin Promise — Commanders Daily

Philadelphia showed Washington one way defenses can limit Terry McLaurin. Now David Blough gets his first chance to prove the offense has an answer.

Sep 13, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin (17) catches a pass for a first down against the Philadelphia Eagles during the second half at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Eagles used cloud coverage to erase Terry McLaurin in Week 1. Against a banged-up Cowboys defense, David Blough must find creative ways to get him the ball. | Philip Hughes | HTTR4LIFE LLC

During the offseason, offensive coordinator David Blough was asked countless times about his plans for the new offense. On one such occasion, Blough said, "This thing's going to be built around how do we get Terry 10 targets a game and get him explosive receptions after explosive receptions to kind of flip the field." McLaurin's stat line versus Philly: four targets, two catches, 14 yards; two of those targets came on the game's final drive. That's not to say the offense failed McLaurin; Philadelphia clearly made taking him away from Jayden Daniels and Washington's offense central to their game plan.

Commanders HC Dan Quinn made it a point in his Monday presser to talk about how defenses that do not live in man coverage can cloud cover a corner toward a specific receiver. Quinn said, "Yes. It's not so unique. So, you'll hear like somebody trying to take somebody away. If you don't play a lot of man-to-man, it's usually a corner that clouds to that person. You try to move somebody around. The best defenses, like Philadelphia, can move that around if you're outside, inside. It does create moments and opportunities if you're gonna be extra strong in one area where other ops are available," Quinn went on about how Philly defended McLaurin. "But it was certainly, that was part of their game plan, was to say, ‘Hey, this is the person that we wanna prevent from the deep balls down the field.’ And that kinda leans into some of the other players."

To be clear, I don't believe chasing a 10-target number just because he said he would back in May is a good idea. The overall plan for every offense, when its number one option is taken away, is to take what opens up elsewhere. But Quinn made it clear the team still believes it can find ways to get Terry involved: "It doesn't mean that you can't still win and still beat him, and we certainly have ways to go do that." Clearly, Blough will have to draw up some things on the fly and be willing to think outside the box if this offense is going to have success in the NFC East this season.

Blough will now get his first opportunity against Dallas to respond to what a defensive counter to McLaurin looks like. They need to get him involved earlier and force Dallas to defend him differently. If Philadelphia showed Washington the first defensive counter to McLaurin, Dallas will show whether Blough already has an answer.

LIVE: HC Dan Quinn speaks to the media https://t.co/gMJLnXNhBO

— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) September 14, 2026

Cowboys Lose Two Defensive Starters Before Washington Game

The Dallas Cowboys lost two defensive starters in Week 1 against the New York Giants, as safety Malik Hooker and linebacker DeMarvion Overshown are both expected to miss a couple of weeks, according to Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer. Hooker fractured his forearm and will have surgery Tuesday.

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