ASHBURN — Jaden Bradley, the 6-foot-4 undrafted receiver who signed with the Commanders in this spring, jogged to the back of the line after his positional coach, Bobby Engram, stopped him in the middle of his rep to adjust his hands and head. Awaiting him in the line was Terry McLaurin, a seven-year veteran who has been a face of the franchise almost since he arrived.As the two awaited their turn during the early individual portion of an organized team activities session on Tuesday, McLaurin pulled aside the rookie to show him the correct hand placement on a block.Later in the workout, after Bradley caught his first pass of OTAs, McLaurin yelled to him on the sideline, “I told you the ball would come.” McLaurin, a 2019 third-round pick many analysts viewed as primarily a special teamer before he entered the pros, knew what it felt like as a rookie eager to make it.He also knows the highs and lows of the game that can mentally defeat a young player — or any player. It was only a year ago when McLaurin began to skip offseason workouts and later held out of training camp and the entire preseason because of a contract stalemate. His absence was noticeable throughout the offseason and seemed to have a trickle-down effect; McLaurin suffered a quad injury in the third week of the season and mentally appeared drained from the earlier contract dispute and prolonged recovery.“Honestly, the first thing that comes to mind about seeing Terry this offseason is his joy of the game, of practicing,” coach Dan Quinn said Tuesday. “I see it with him interacting, with the coaches, with his teammates. And so that’s the part, honestly, that jumps out to me the most.”McLaurin has always been a leader of Washington’s offense and the team overall. But his play and his demeanor have been noticeably infectious so far this offseason. It was seen in the early portion of practice, when McLaurin prepared the same way he always has by catching dozens of balls up high, down low and over his shoulder along the sideline to reinforce his eye-tracking.After practice, he was on the Jugs machine doing more of the same, catching passes on one knee, over a trash can and beyond his comfortable radius again and again and again.“He sets the tone for the group,” offensive coordinator David Blough said.McLaurin’s mentorship was put on display again when Dyami Brown shared clips of their workout with quarterback Jayden Daniels in Los Angeles earlier this offseason.McLaurin praised Brown’s improved play and maturity late in the 2024 season and stayed in regular contact with him when Brown signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2025. Despite their distance, Brown was among those who constantly supported McLaurin during his contract holdout.“He’s at a point in his career now where he knows how to train his body, he knows how to get the proper work in, he knows how to do his recovery,” McLaurin said of Brown. “And so now I just need to continue to help support him along the way and push him. Every drill we do, everything in the weight room, like him and I are partners.”McLaurin believes he’s become more of a vocal leader later in his career, but he also credited Engram for allowing him to be somewhat of an on-field coach to the younger receivers in the room, whether that means explaining certain techniques or giving tips between drills. McLaurin’s openness has in turn seemed to put his younger teammates, including Bradley, at ease.“I think it’s allowed me to kind of step into more of a vocal role where guys really respect my voice,” McLaurin said. “And I think I’ve learned when to say things, when not to say things. … When all the new guys come in, I try to introduce myself to them first because sometimes it may be a little intimidating for a rookie to come up to a vet and things like that.”Yet, McLaurin’s own perspective has changed, too, after the contentious contract dispute and the seven games he missed due to injury last season.“I kind of sometimes get in my head about why is this happening or it’s not going my way. And I’ve kind of just taken those opportunities to see it as a learning and growth experience,” he said. “I have no bitterness about it. I’m able to move forward. I’ve been in the league long enough (that) each year is a new year. So I’m just excited to kind of put that aspect of the business side behind me and just step into this year like it’s a brand new year.”The full impact of his holdout last year is impossible to determine — was that truly the reason he was injured early in the season, or was it simply a fluke movement in a physical game? — but losing the offseason, when the Commanders were still early in their rebuild with a young quarterback, cost Washington important reps. Although McLaurin was a veteran, his quarterback was going into only his second pro season, and continuing to build on their connection required time on the field.The on-field rapport between McLaurin and Daniels in the early going of OTAs has stood out; Daniels connected with him on a deep ball last week during 7-on-7 that Quinn believes was a prime example of the work they’ve put in to refine their timing and communication.But much of McLaurin’s renewed ardor is also tied to the Commanders’ new offensive scheme. Although McLaurin had success in Kliff Kingsbury’s system, Blough’s offense allows the receiver to move around more, playing inside and outside on both sides. Defenses can’t bank on McLaurin simply lining up on the left side or playing primarily the “X” receiver split out wide.The movement forces defense to play more “honest,” as McLaurin describes it.“Just having those types of variations in your route tree is just an unbelievable weapon to have as a receiver,” he said. “And so now we’re just trying to home in on the details, be where we need to be to make sure that we’re on the same page with the quarterback. So it’s just been really fun and refreshing just to be able to be moved around all parts of the football field.”