The Washington Commanders have reshaped their receiver room, and rookie Antonio Williams is stepping into a setup that looks very different from a year ago. Terry McLaurin is back, Deebo Samuel is gone, Zach Ertz remains a free agent, and the team added another layer of talent by drafting Williams in the third round and signing Stefon Diggs.
That veteran pairing of McLaurin and Diggs should give Jayden Daniels and the offense a real boost this season. It also gives Williams a chance to learn alongside proven playmakers as he settles in with the Commanders.
Williams spent four seasons at Clemson and put together a strong 2024 before his production dipped in 2025. That drop hurt his draft stock, but he’s still carrying the kind of football IQ that shows up in the details. One of the clearest examples is the way he thinks about routes.
His favorite is the fade, or the slot fade, because it gives him a chance to attack one-on-one coverage and create an explosive play. But for Williams, the route is never just one thing. He knows how to shape it based on the defender across from him.
“My favorite route to run doesn’t really involve too much cutting. It’s just fade or slot fade, wherever I’m at.
Just one-on-one, go make a play, and those are the explosive ones,” Williams said. “You definitely want to make different things look the same.
Same things look different. So, you got to know who you’re going against and what type of technique they’re using.
They like to skate off the snap, or if they’re, like, heaving-pressing and want to jam you, you got to know to get off quicker and use your hands more. So, it all depends on who you’re going against.
Obviously, as a receiver, we dictate how the snap goes, how the play’s going to go. They’re going off us.
So, we’re always in control, and I like the feeling of that.”
Williams has already gotten a taste of preseason action, making his debut against the Miami Dolphins last week. He’s also expected to be on the field again when Washington faces the Detroit Lions this coming Saturday.
In Other News...
Commanders Face Tough 53-Man Calls After Surprise Preseason Risers
Two preseason games have already given the Commanders a better read on some of the roster battles they thought might take longer to sort out. With final cuts approaching, Washington has been using these games to separate the steady from the shaky, and a few competitors have clearly helped themselves along the way. Athan Kaliakmanis has been one of the more notable risers, especially after Marcus Mariotas injury opened the door for more scrutiny at backup quarterback.
Kaliakmanis has taken advantage of the opportunity, putting together encouraging recent performances that have improved his standing in the QB picture. He is not the only one making the decision harder, either, as Joshua Josephs and Kaytron Allen have also shown enough progress to strengthen their cases for the 53-man roster. For a team trying to trim the margins, that kind of late momentum can matter just as much as any early summer depth chart. [Read more 🡒]
Dan Quinn Sent Commanders A Clear Message After That Lions Showing
A sluggish preseason showing against the Lions was enough to prompt a noticeable change in the Commanders routine Monday, when the scheduled walk-through was bumped in favor of a full practice. Dan Quinn then met with reporters afterward, and the altered plan fit the tone of a head coach clearly trying to sharpen the edge around a team still early in its summer work.
With a joint practice against the Ravens coming up, the message from Quinn was less about easing through the week and more about raising the standard now. The switch in plans suggested he wanted his players locked in and moving with purpose, a small but telling reminder that he is not interested in letting an uneven preseason outing linger or turn into anything bigger. [Read more 🡒]
Joshua Josephs Is Making A Stronger Commanders Case Than Expected
Joshua Josephs has already done something in August that tends to get a rookie edge rusher noticed fast. The fifth-round pick for Washington found the end zone on a defensive touchdown in the Commanders second preseason game against the Detroit Lions, giving the defense a rare jolt and offering another reminder that the front seven is still trying to build its identity under new coordinator Daronte Jones.
It was also the Commanders first defensive touchdown since the 2024 divisional playoff round, which adds a little more weight to a play that usually gets filed away as a preseason highlight. For Josephs, the bigger takeaway is the way he has kept stacking encouraging moments while Washington leans into a turnover-driven approach, and that kind of early momentum can make a young pass rusher much harder to ignore when roster decisions get real. [Read more 🡒]