It was a tough rookie year for Christian’s little brother. Despite seeing the field in all 17 regular season games and Washington’s three playoff contests, Luke McCaffrey became the forgotten man in the Commanders’ receiving corps.
All-22 film will show he did a nice job creating separation and getting open; however, he was not a go-to option for rookie phenom Jayden Daniels – who trusted getting the ball to his veteran guys like Terry Mclaurin, Zach Ertz and Noah Brown.
Despite not having a huge role in the offense, Luke showed he was a very willing blocker and did a nice job returning kicks.
Now, with a year under his belt and things hopefully beginning to slow down for him a bit on the field, what is in store for McCaffrey in year two under Kliff Kingsbury?
My friend Kyle Odegard, who is an Arizona Cardinals insider and US/PR Outreach Lead for Press Insights, was kind enough to share this Q and A he did with Ed McCaffrey via The Escapist.
Ed McCaffrey said his son, Luke, is “hungry” to carve out a bigger role with the Commanders in Year 2.
“I can already physically see the difference in him from last year to this year. And he’s very confident. … Now he’s got to go out and compete.”https://t.co/rIJnFGsyI6 pic.twitter.com/RcxVE45XJy
— Kyle Odegard (@Kyle_Odegard) July 7, 2025
Below is a portion of the Q and A with Ed McCaffrey about his son Luke’s development from year one to year two with the Commanders. Kyle was kind enough to send me the paraphrased question version. You can read the entire Q and A here: https://www.escapistmagazine.com/ed-mccaffrey-interview/
Ed McCaffrey on Luke’s mental and physical state as training camp nears
“He’s hungry, man. He’s hungry to get on the field, hungry to compete. This is his first NFL offseason. When you’re a senior in college, you go right from being in college to playing in a bowl game, to getting ready for an All-Star game – he played in the Senior Bowl – to getting ready for the Combine and then your Pro Day.
“You never really have a full offseason of training, and in my experience, it took me a year or two to get an NFL frame, an NFL body. I thought he did great last year. He was chomping at the bit to get on the field more and more. He’s going to do the same this year. But man, I can already physically see the difference in him from last year to this year.”
Ed McCaffrey on Luke’s comfort level in the Washington offense
“He’s very confident. They had him play all five receiver positions last year, so he knows every position on the field. They’ve got Deebo now, which is cool, so we’ll see whether they play him outside or in the slot. Physically, he’s ready to go. Mentally, he’s ready to go. Now he’s got to go out and compete.”
Ed McCaffrey on the pairing of Kliff Kingsbury and Jayden Daniels
“Coach Kingsbury did a great job (last season). It’s so important to have the right play-caller with the right quarterback. He’s the perfect play-caller for Jayden Daniels. You couldn’t have picked a better play-caller for Jayden Daniels.”
Where is Luke’s best fit?
I think Luke McCaffrey’s best fit is in the slot, where he can use his quickness (6.7 3-cone and Combine best for wide receivers 4.02 short shuttle) and size to create mismatches for opposing defenses. That being said, there is some competition there, as rookie Jaylin Lane is a very accomplished college slot receiver with even better speed than McCaffrey.
Washington could use some size on the outside and Luke has shown to be pretty good at tracking the deep ball, so he could push Noah Brown for reps opposite Terry Mclaurin. At 6’2” and now weighing over 205 pounds, McCaffrey, who boasts 4.47 speed, could be a nice outside target in Kliff Kingsbury’s offense.
Ultimately, his training camp progress this summer should give us more insight into just how he will fit into this offense. Best case scenario is he becomes a chess piece Kliff can move around the offense to help create favorable matchups. Him learning all of the wide receiver positions as a rookie should really help in year two.
2025 predictions
As a rookie, McCaffrey caught 18 passes for 168 yards. He also chipped in 10 kickoff returns for 299 yards (with a long of 47). We know McLaurin and Deebo Samuel will receive their share of targets. Zach Ertz and Austin Ekeler should also get plenty of looks as safe options. Where will that leave player like McCaffrey and Lane?
Here are my predictions for him in 2025:
-16 games
-6 starts
-38 receptions
-425 yards
-3 TD’s