Why McLaurin was 'really glad' to be at Wentz's throwing camp originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
The on-field action, of course, mattered to Terry McLaurin, as it marked the first time he got to snare passes from Carson Wentz. But to Washington's top receiver, the interactions that occurred once the footballs went away at the Wentz-led California meetup earlier this month is where the true chemistry was built.
"I'm really glad I was able to go out there and spend that time with him," McLaurin said Monday at an Easterns Automotive Group commercial shoot. "Him and I even got to have an hour lunch... and we got to talk about our families, our faith and how our careers have been up to this point and what we want going forward for ourselves and our team."
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Like Jonathan Allen, who last month touched on the "terrible reputation" that has engulfed Wentz as he's bounced from the Eagles to the Colts and now the Commanders, McLaurin is aware of the quarterback's current standing in the league.
Yet for their hangout in Huntington Beach, McLaurin went in with a totally open mind.
"Me personally, I've always given somebody the opportunity to show who they are to you in person," McLaurin said. "Because a lot of things in this league, through social media and things like that, can get misconstrued. But when you can talk to somebody and see who they are for yourself, I think that's what goes a long way for me and that goes a long way for the guys in our locker room."
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"He's a really good person," McLaurin added later on. "He cares about his job and the people he's around."
According to McLaurin, Wentz engineered the three-day throwing camp, taking care of things like welcoming everyone to the training facility as well as organizing the hotel accommodations.
McLaurin flew out for Thursday and Friday's proceedings, but the first session for the group — which also included Antonio Gibson, Jahan Dotson, Cam Sims, Cole Turner, Dax Milne and Taylor Heinicke — occurred on Wednesday (McLaurin missed it as he was at the team's facility for a press conference celebrating his contract extension).
The schedule went like this: Train together for about an hour-and-a-half starting at noon Pacific time, break for lunch and leisurely activity (per McLaurin, hitting the mall or napping to fight off the time change were two of the more popular options) and, eventually, gather for a shared dinner.
Similar to his lunch with Wentz, McLaurin explained that those nightly meals were particularly enjoyable.
"I think that was really one of the cool moments, because we got to sit with Cole, we could sit with Jahan and tell them, all of us, where we are now, what we look for for this season and we got to give Carson an idea of some of the things we want to improve on this season," McLaurin said.
For McLaurin, who stayed away from OTAs and minicamp as he negotiated his new deal with the franchise, the entire experience was a useful one, seeing as it allowed him to catch up in the camaraderie department.
It also energized him and the rest of those in attendance for 2022, which begins in earnest on Wednesday at training camp.
"It really got everybody's juices flowing," McLaurin said.
