With Washington Commanders receiver Terry McLaurin out for the rest of the season after tearing the patellar tendon in his left knee, the team is faced with the task of replacing the face of the franchise. The good news is the roster is in a position to fill his role with several players, but one stands out as the guy they need to use most: Antonio Williams.
Williams has already spent the entire offseason program and the first six weeks of the regular season developing a connection with Daniels. But the reason they need to give him more looks is clear: he creates separation like no one else on the roster, and even though his snap share has stayed steady (hovering in the high 60s of late, even in London when McLaurin was out nursing a hamstring), he's criminally underused in David Blough's system.
Against San Francisco, Williams ran 35 routes but had only four targets, catching three for 50 yards. All four targets came on third down in the fourth quarter, and his three catches accounted for Washington’s only successful third-down conversions of the night. In an offense looking for answers, why ignore one?
Daniels has a part in this, too. Those opportunities only help if he finds Williams when they’re there.
This is something that was going on long before the 49ers game. Pro Football Focus credits Williams with 12 catches on 12 short targets for 85 yards and five catches on eight intermediate targets for 87 yards. That's 17 catches on 20 targets for 172 yards, one touchdown and no drops through six games; his PFF receiving grade is 75.2.
Against San Francisco, Washington was using McLaurin and Treylon Burks in two-receiver/two-tight-end personnel before the injury Monday night. McLaurin, Williams, and Diggs formed the three-receiver group. After McLaurin left the game, Burks, Williams, and Diggs became Washington’s primary three-receiver group. Williams further supports his case with a fair amount of snaps in the slot and outside.
Quinn has already hinted at multiple players being in line for Terry's snaps: "So we do have a deep crew at that position, and we’ll lean in, you know, on a number of the guys to find some of the unique roles that Terry does," Quinn said Tuesday. Against San Francisco, Diggs caught six passes for 44 yards and a touchdown; Burks caught four for 66, including a 30-yard gain; Chig Okonkwo added seven receptions for 69 yards from the tight end spot.
Quinn also pointed to McLaurin’s contested catches as one of his biggest strengths. Williams has already given Washington a productive option between the numbers, catching all 10 short and intermediate-range targets in that area for 104 yards. That’s where I’d start after the bye: more first- and second-down opportunities for Williams across the middle, with McLaurin’s downfield and contested-catch work spread across the group.
It's maddening to see an offense in need of playmakers fail to use the ones they have. A glance over Williams' numbers above makes a major case for him to be involved earlier and more often, including plays where he's the intended first read. PFF credits him with 69 run-blocking snaps and a 51.5 run-blocking grade, leaving room for improvement if Washington expands his role in two-receiver formations.
The bye gives Blough time to make Williams a bigger part of the plan from the opening drive. Give him designed opportunities on first and second down. Washington has a lot of production to replace with McLaurin out, and Williams has already shown he can handle more of that work. It’s time to give him the chance.
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