The Washington Commanders knew how critical Terry McLaurin was to the team when they signed him to a three-year extension over the summer. McLaurin’s value on the field is unquestioned, as he’s one of the NFL’s best wide receivers.
However, his value in the locker room and popularity with the fans made his return even more essential.
Through 13 games this season, McLaurin continues to prove his worth. The fourth-year wideout has 62 receptions for 945 yards and three touchdowns. McLaurin has reached those numbers with virtually no downfield passing game over the last eight weeks.
How is McLaurin’s value assessed across the league?
According to Pro Football Focus, McLaurin ranks No. 5 in PFF WAR [wins above replacement. Check out this company; the four wide receivers McLaurin is behind are Davante Adams, Justin Jefferson, Tyreek Hill and Stefon Diggs.
Most valuable WRs this season, per PFF WAR 👀 pic.twitter.com/ySRjF2dNyP
— PFF (@PFF) December 15, 2022
Let’s allow PFF to explain the WAR metric.
Determine how good a given player was during a period of time (generally a season) using PFF grades;
Map a player’s production to a “wins” value for his team using the relative importance of each facet of play;
Simulate a team’s expected performance with a player of interest and with an average player participating identically in his place. Take the difference in expected wins (e.g., Wins Above Average);
Determine the average player with a given participation profile’s wins above replacement player, assuming a team of replacement-level players is a 3-13 team;
Add the terms in the last two calculations to get that player’s WAR.
Considering McLaurin has played with countless quarterbacks in his four NFL seasons, including two this season, it’s clear he should be considered an elite wide receiver.
