Washington made some big moves to improve their wide receiver room this offseason by adding veteran Deebo Samuel in a trade with the 49ers, and drafting rookie speedster Jaylin Lane from Virginia Tech.
There have been plenty of offseason discussions about best positional fits for the receivers on the roster. However, getting the best three/four on the field together should be the goal.
Because my stated goal above is to get the best three/four on the field at the same time, I will deviate from the traditional X/Z/Slot designations and instead go with the old “option” numbering system. In fact, I do believe the old system of X/Z/Slot is antiquated anyway, as offensive coordinators are all about mismatches and will line up and MOVE their chess pieces all over the field.
WR1
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Terry McLaurin is a true outside receiver and the team’s unquestioned WR1. Traditionally, the X is more of a bigger possession receiver who can gain some YAC, while the Z is your speed/vertical guy. Terry is a combination of both, which is part of the reason I moved away from designations.
WR2
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Deebo Samuel was brought in to complement McLaurin as the team’s true number two option. Deebo can play outside, inside and operate from the backfield, so listing him as an X, Z, Slot or even RB wouldn’t make much sense. What does make sense is to list him as a true number two.
WR3
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Noah Brown should have the inside track as wide receiver number three in Kingsbury’s offense. He’s an outside target, so moving him around may not be as beneficial as others on the roster, but he’s effective in his role showing good hands and body control, and he draws a lot of interference calls downfield – so his role should be well defined and semi-secure.
WR4
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The battle for wide receiver four should come down to two names – rookie Jaylin Lane and second-year player Luke McCaffrey. The nice part about this battle is both have inside/outside versatility and excellent speed and quickness. I don’t think it’s fair to pigeon-hole either to the outside or slot, so again, I will just list them as a wide receiver. Now, even though I have listed them behind Noah Brown, I do believe these three will all battle for snaps, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see any of the trio be third in touches behind McLaurin and Samuel.
The Best of the Rest
The Commanders have some interesting names who will be fighting to make the roster this summer during training camp.
- Michael Gallup
- KJ Osborn
- Ja’Corey Brooks
- Jacoby Jones
- Mike Strachan
- Chris Moore (longshot)
- Kazmeir Allen (longshot)
Gallup and Osborn are the two bigger names to watch here. Gallup retired from the NFL last year, but decided he wanted to make a come-back in 2025. The 29-year-old last suited up for the Cowboys in 2023, where he had 34 receptions for 418 yards and two touchdowns in 17 games. Osborn was with Washington for the second half of 2024, but didn’t make an impact in his lone active game.
Ja’Corey Brooks is the name I’m keeping a close eye on during camp. The former Alabama and Louisville product went undrafted this offseason but signed with the Commanders as a free agent. He put up good numbers as a sophomore in Tuscaloosa (39 rec, 674 yards and 8 touchdowns) and did even better as a senior at Louisville (61 rec, 1013 yards and 9 touchdowns). He has good size at 6’2” 185 pounds, but his 4.65 40 and pedestrian 3-cone and short-shuttle at Louisville’s Pro Day really hurt his draft stock.
Undrafted rookie Jacoby Jones and veteran Mike Strachan offer good size (something the Commander’s receiving corps is lacking) but both are considered longer shots to make the roster. Chris Moore and Kaz Allen are likely on the very outside looking in.
Versatility is the key word for the 2025 receiving corps. With the exception of Noah Brown, the other four options who are perceived locks to make the roster offer plenty of position flex (and unlike the days of Ron Rivera, this is no longer a bad word). Deebo can act as a running back, and Lane could also see some touches from the backfield or on jet sweeps. Both McCaffrey and Lane have return ability and each could bring a level of excitement to special teams from that perspective.
McLaurin and Samuel are locks to be on the field for the majority of the offensive snaps this season. How the others fit in could be determined based on weekly matchups, or if one is truly standing out above the others in terms of production.
In true 10 personnel (one running back, zero tight ends), it will be interesting to see how Kliff sets his formations. Could we see a look where Deebo is lined up up in the backfield, with McLaurin, Brown, Lane and McCaffrey as wide receivers? Could we see some 20 personnel with Deebo and Ekeler lined up together in the backfield, and a combination of three wide receivers? How would defenses choose to cover the running back duo if both were sent out on patterns?
The receiver versatility, combined with the excitement Jayden Daniels can bring with both his arm and legs, will make for some interesting mismatches in this offense.
Training camp should bring out the best in terms of competition from the players fighting for a roster spot. It will be a key area to watch for fans this summer.