OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The difference between going against Marlon Humphrey and your standard cornerback is the All-Pro’s physicality. That, Terry McLaurin says, is noticeable right from the snap — when the Baltimore Ravens corner tries to jam wideouts at the line of scrimmage and then continues to impose himself through the route.
To win, as McLaurin often did Tuesday, it takes a receiver able to fight that force with a strength of his own. And, just as important, it takes a quarterback able to fire into the open window quickly — because if not, Humphrey is fast enough to recover in an instant.
That wasn’t a problem for Sam Howell.
On the first day of joint practices between the Washington Commanders and Ravens, Howell’s growing connection with McLaurin was on full display against a defense that features one of football’s best cornerbacks in Humphrey. In several 11-on-11 sessions, McLaurin emerged as Howell’s go-to target — including on an impressive third-down sequence in which Baltimore brought the house, Howell recognized the blitz and quickly found McLaurin in space to pick up the first down.
McLaurin said the practice was an example of the trust developing between the two.
As he has throughout his career, McLaurin is again establishing chemistry with a (mostly) new quarterback. Though Howell started Week 18 last year — McLaurin’s 10th different starting quarterback in four seasons — this offseason has presented more of an opportunity for that relationship to grow.
“We’re still in the middle in the camp, and we’ve still got some preseason to go, but I feel like we’re building,” McLaurin said. “You get some 1 on 1 opportunities, he’s going to come down and make that play. As myself, I just want to continue to give him that trust.”
McLaurin has made a career of being productive no mater who the quarterback is. In some ways, the wide receiver has arguably joined the ranks of those like Andre Johnson, Allen Robinson and DeAndre Hopkins — prolific wide receivers who put up gaudy stats despite primarily working with subpar quarterbacks. McLaurin said Johnson and Hopkins were “consistent no matter who was throwing them the ball,” adding that starts with their mentality and making sure they can be reliable. “That’s my mindset, as well,” McLaurin said.
Of course, the goal for the Commanders is for Howell to establish himself as the team’s franchise signal-caller. At practice Tuesday, coach Ron Rivera spent practically the entire session focused on Howell and the offense. Rivera said he “really liked” the group’s tempo and was pleased by Howell’s decision-making. But the coach also offered some criticism, telling reporters he’d like to see Howell get rid of the ball faster on a number of occasions.
Having a resource like McLaurin, though, can be very beneficial for Howell’s development. Even in his debut last year, Howell’s best throw came on a 52-yard bomb to McLaurin against the Dallas Cowboys. Rivera praised the wide receiver for being the type of player that young quarterbacks can rely on.
“You’re going to go back to who you think is a good completion, and that’s what Terry is,” Rivera said.
The joint practices also serve as a chance for McLaurin to fine-tune his own game. Matched up against Humphrey, a three-time Pro Bowler, McLaurin focused on his technique. To combat the cornerback’s physicality, the wide receiver not only used his own arms to create separation — but he focused on being “clean” with his footwork.
McLaurin said as a receiver, he understands that when he stops, the cornerback is also likely to stop. So the 27-year-old tried to time it so that his breaks would catch Humphrey off guard and create a window for Howell to throw. And McLaurin seemed pleased that Howell did exactly that — “the ball was right there,” McLaurin said.
Humphrey acknowledged as much.
“He’s a second-year guy, but he looked really comfortable back there at quarterback,” Humphrey said of Howell, later adding, “Terry and [Curtis] Samuel and [Jahan] Dotson, those guys are legit. So, there was some really good work today.”
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