The Washington Commanders have spent the better part of the last few years trying to answer one stubborn question: who lines up opposite Terry McLaurin?
That issue got exposed badly last season. McLaurin missed seven games with the first significant injury of his career, and Washington’s receiver room thinned out fast, leaning on practice-squad elevations just to get through game day. The situation got even tougher when quarterback Jayden Daniels was also sidelined for 10 games.
So this offseason, general manager Adam Peters made wide receiver a clear priority. His first two free-agent targets, Alec Pierce and Romeo Doubs, wound up elsewhere.
Peters kept moving, though, bringing back 2021 third-round pick Dyami Brown after a disappointing year away from Washington. The Commanders also added veteran Van Jefferson, drafted Clemson receiver Antonio Williams in 2026, and re-signed former Tennessee first-round pick Treylon Burks.
Washington still has been tied to bigger names too, including Brandon Aiyuk, who remains under contract with the 49ers, and Stefon Diggs.
Even if the Commanders add another proven receiver, Brown’s return is worth watching. He never climbed to the top of the depth chart during his first three seasons in Washington, but things started to shift in 2024, the same year as Daniels’ rookie season. Brown’s regular-season numbers were modest, yet he erupted in the playoffs, catching 14 passes for 229 yards and a touchdown across three games.
That run helped him land a one-year, $10 million deal from the Jaguars. Jacksonville didn’t work out, and Brown wanted back in Washington.
All offseason, he has been posting workout clips, including sessions with Daniels and McLaurin. He recently shared another video titled "Self-evaluation: Dyami Brown prepares for the regular season."
The clip shows Brown in the weight room and on the practice field, running routes. Plenty of players grind through offseason workouts, but Brown looks like someone trying to make this next chance count. He’s back in a place he knows, he’s clearly happy to be there, and at 26, he still has time to matter.
In the video, Brown promised a "new me" in 2026. That’s a claim worth keeping an eye on.
In Other News...
Commanders May Be Down To One Familiar WR2 Gamble
The Commanders are still sorting through ways to give Terry McLaurin a reliable running mate, and the search has started to narrow toward a familiar face. With the receiver market not exactly overflowing with clean fits, Washington is at least exploring the idea of leaning on a player it already knows, one who could make sense in a broader offseason plan rather than as a quick fix.
The timing matters here, because the discussion is centered on a possible 2026 move and not an immediate answer. Nothing is official yet, and that leaves the Commanders in the same place plenty of teams find themselves this time of year: weighing familiarity, fit and availability while hoping the right option does not disappear before the roster gets a chance to take shape. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders May Finally Have A Forgotten Draft Pick Worth Watching
Kain Medrano barely got a chance to show what he could do after Washington took the linebacker in 2025, spending his rookie year on special teams without cracking into the defense. Now he enters a different kind of conversation, because Daronte Jones new scheme is built around linebackers and could finally give the athletic young defender a real opening to matter beyond kick coverage.
Medrano still has work to do, though, with Sonny Styles, Leo Chenal, Frankie Luvu, Jordan Magee and several edge rushers all in the mix for roles in the new look defense. Even so, his offseason progress has kept him on the radar, and for a player who was easy to overlook a year ago, that alone makes him one of the more interesting names to watch as Washington sorts out its front seven. [Read more 🡒]
Jayden Daniels Just Entered A Different Tier For The Commanders
Jayden Daniels has already given Washington a rare kind of hope at quarterback, and now his profile is stretching well beyond the field. The 2023 Heisman Trophy winner and 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year has joined Gatorades athletics team, a notable endorsement move that puts him in a different category of NFL face for the brand and underscores how quickly his rise has accelerated since arriving in the league.
For the Commanders, the bigger picture is still about what Daniels means when he is healthy and on the field. He dealt with injuries in 2025, but the expectation is that he returns healthy for 2026, which is the part Washington cares about most as it tries to build on what he has already shown. The commercial spotlight is nice, but the franchises next step still hinges on whether Daniels can keep turning promise into production. [Read more 🡒]