The Washington Commanders entered training camp with a receiver plan. The question hanging over it is whether the plan is sturdy enough to carry them once the games start mattering.
That’s the tension in Washington right now: the team has rebuilt plenty around Jayden Daniels, changed systems and play callers, and added bodies at wideout. But it still hasn’t landed the kind of proven pass-catching partner for Terry McLaurin that would make the group feel finished.
McLaurin remains the clear headliner, but last season showed how fragile the setup can get when the depth thins out. McLaurin and Noah Brown missed a combined 20 games because of injuries, and after the season general manager Adam Peters called that stretch “a good lesson for sure.” Even so, as of Monday morning, the Commanders still had not added a second established playmaker in the passing game.
That omission has kept the conversation alive all offseason. Washington was linked in theory to some of the top veteran names still available, including Stefon Diggs and Brandon Aiyuk if the San Francisco 49ers moved on from him. Three days into camp, that possibility still hangs there.
It’s early, of course. The Commanders haven’t even reached their first fully padded practice yet, and three ramp-up sessions won’t tell the whole story of how first-year offensive coordinator David Blough’s offense will function. But the broader picture is hard to ignore, especially after Washington spent the offseason trying to patch several skill spots without really answering the biggest receiver question.
The front office did add three veteran wideouts - Dyami Brown, Van Jefferson and Treylon Burks - all on one-year deals for the veteran’s minimum. It also used a 2025 fourth-round pick on Jaylin Lane and spent this year’s third-rounder on Antonio Williams, a player Peters and coach Dan Quinn have praised as a polished, versatile route runner. Williams may work inside and outside, but he played mostly in the slot in college, which is a familiar profile in this room after 2024 third-rounder Luke McCaffrey.
That leaves Washington looking loaded with slot types and lighter on true outside answers. The best candidate to line up opposite McLaurin may be Burks, the former Tennessee Titans first-rounder who joined Washington’s practice squad last season after injuries hit the receiver room.
Burks flashed some encouraging traits in his eight games, but he has never started more than nine games in a season. He also opened this camp with what Dan Quinn described as “foot soreness,” though he returned to the field Saturday.
His health may end up shaping his role.
Peters made clear before camp that he believes the group has been given a real chance to sort itself out.
“But just the way the guys have progressed, how much we’ve invested in that position in terms of draft capital, I think we’ve invested a lot,” Peters said of the receivers ahead of training camp. “And then our (front office) guys have done a really good job in the free-agent market too, bringing in some real good competition there.
So what it does is create great competition, and … the cream will rise to the top. I’m confident that those guys will take a step up.”
The Commanders’ retooling didn’t stop at wide receiver. Chig Okonkwo arrives to lead the tight ends after Zach Ertz, and Rachaad White gives the running backs room some receiving punch after Austin Ekeler left. The result is a skill-position group built less around a classic No. 2 receiver and more around a collection of different traits: slot ability, speed, route running, yards after the catch, versatility and shiftiness.
Quinn said back in March that the position may not be as simple as assigning labels.
“I think what we learned is it’s not necessarily (Nos.) 1 and 2 in that space,” Quinn said when asked about the receivers in March. “… You’ve got to be a little more creative about where you put people.
How do they go there? If you can find players and train them to have different types of versatility, I think that’s a big deal.”
There is some proof of concept here. Washington got through 2024 with Olamide Zaccheaus, an under-the-radar signing, as a meaningful contributor. The Commanders can argue that one more unexpected name could emerge again.
But last year also demanded a lot from Daniels, who produced the greatest rookie season of any quarterback and led the team in rushing yards as well as passing yards. Even with that, Washington needed a remarkable run of good fortune, and six of its wins, playoffs included, came on the last play from scrimmage.
That’s why the receiver issue still matters. McLaurin turns 31 in September, and before last season he had missed only three games in his career.
Then a quad injury cost him seven games. If something similar happens again, Washington would be left without its primary weapon outside of Daniels.
Diggs would bring his own questions, and signing him would not automatically solve everything. He turns 33 in November and has had off-field concerns. Peters also likely wouldn’t want to commit to more than a one-year deal, especially given Washington’s recent approach to veteran additions.
Still, if the price is right, the logic is simple enough: add another body, add another competitor, and let the best options sort themselves out.
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The awards, inspired by former Commanders player Colt Brennan, are built around players with little NFL experience who are trying to turn a strong camp into a real roster argument. For Washington, that makes the list worth watching closely, because the excitement around these under-the-radar names is about more than just practice highlights. It is about whether any of them can keep building enough momentum to survive the final roster decisions. [Read more 🡒]