Whether or not McCaffrey wants to put a label on his own maturation from his rookie season to now, the numbers don't lie. In 19 touches, McCaffrey leads all NFL wideouts in all-purpose yards per touch with 27.50 yards (minimum 15 touches). Through the first five games of the season, McCaffrey caught all but two of his nine targets, including two receiving touchdowns -- the first two of his NFL career -- and a career-long 50-yard reception against the Los Angeles Chargers in the Commanders' dominant 27-10 Week 5 win.
McCaffrey's coaches and teammates alike are also taking notice of his ability as an offensive threat.
"He just continues to get better and better, like we talked about," Kingsbury said during Thursday's media session. "I really liked how he came back; the attitude, the physical shape he was in and he has just taken it and run with it. It was a lot to ask him to play inside and outside last year. I think he's settled in now, and we have full confidence where we put him that he's going to go make a play. I know Jayden does, too, so that's been cool to see that connection and kind of grow in Year 2."
"He's more definitive getting in and out of his break, timing purposes also," Daniels added in his own Wednesday press conference. "Those are the kinds of things he had to learn as he, like I said, transitioned from quarterback to receiver. It's not easy, so he's been doing a really great job of honing his own skills and getting better and finding different ways to get better."
As Daniels shared, transitioning from quarterback to receiver is no easy feat. McCaffrey, however, is adept at adjusting to change. Two years his senior, McCaffrey's brother, Dylan, got the start at quarterback when the two overlapped at Valor Christian High School in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, forcing the younger McCaffrey to find a new role. He dabbled as a defensive back and wide receiver his first two years before ascending to starting quarterback after his brother's graduation.
The same kind of thing happened when McCaffrey started his college career in 2019 at Nebraska, backing up quarterback Adrian Martinez and taking snaps at running back before transferring to Rice University. It wasn't until after his first season in Houston during the 2022 spring practices that McCaffrey officially switched to the role of wide receiver.
"I think it was a pretty natural transition, and from there, and again it kind of just comes down to growing every single play and knowing how to do that," McCaffrey said. "I've been lucky enough to be around a lot of different really, really great people whether it was at Rice, at Nebraska or now here, and I think that helps so much."