Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters visits the field during American Senior Bowl practice at Hancock Whitney Stadium.
Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images
Yes, the Washington Commanders still have roster work to do as they evaluate their final preseason contest. And they haven’t conquered the glaring hole in the offense. But there is one roster decision that is agonizing as the 2026 NFL cutdown day looms.
Throughout the offseason and into the preseason, the Commanders have tried to shore things up on the defensive side of the football. However, all that attention meant they didn’t do an extreme amount of work on the offensive side.
And that’s one reason why head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Adam Peters have such a tough choice at the wide receiver position.
Commanders could go many directions at the WR position
The first heavy decision the Commanders must make at the position is how many to keep. If they keep six, things get really tricky. But even if they push it out to seven, they still don’t seem to have a full consensus.
The locks to make the roster are Terry McLaurin, Stefon Diggs, and Antonio Williams. There’s no doubt about those guys, and Williams cemented his value in recent work against the Ravens, according to a post on X by Rookie Watch.
“TRENDING: Antonio Williams embarrassed TWO of the NFL’s top coverage DB’s today. Both Nate Wiggins (Ravens CB) and Kyle Hamilton (Ravens S) reportedly ‘couldn’t guard’ Williams. One NFL scout reportedly believes ‘there’s some’ Amon-Ra St. Brown to Williams’ game. (Via DHarrison82/X)”
After that, it seems like Treylon Burks, Jaylin Lane, and Luke McCaffrey are safe. Lane and McCaffrey enhance their value with good special teams work.
So that brings the Commanders to this conundrum. If they go with six, both Dyami Brown and Van Jefferson are looking for a new NFL address. If they choose seven, one of those guys makes it. But which one?
One reason Brown could be headed elsewhere is the Commanders’ need for a center. Brown isn’t a high-level commodity, but maybe he’s good enough to fetch a backup center.
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Brown has enjoyed a good camp, but he’s still on the bubble. When the Commanders added Diggs to the mix, Brown’s footing became less steady.
Jefferson has a better NFL resume. He is a six-year veteran who authored an 802-yard, six-touchdown season. But it came way back in 2021 with the Rams. Last year, the 30-year-old Jefferson had only 29 catches for 350 yards and a score for the meek Titans.
Brown is only 26 years old. But he hasn’t shown much in five NFL seasons. His career high is 308 yards receiving, and he only has five career touchdowns. Plus, the Jaguars expected bigger things from him in 2025. And he didn’t deliver.
So, it’s not cut and dried that the Commanders will hang on Brown over Jefferson. And there’s even some talk that the Commanders might not retain Burks. However, that seems unlikely at this point.
The Commanders believe their offense is going to work. Unfortunately, they’ve put a ton of pressure on one player to make it work. And that is Jayden Daniels. Still, Daniels hasn’t complained about the receiver room, according to ESPN.
“I'm excited with the guys we have in the room,” Daniels said before the Commanders had signed Diggs.
The Commanders will spend a ton of time this weekend mulling over the receiver position. They will try to get the right number on the roster. But at least one veteran will have to go.