Wide receiver Van Jefferson did not make the cut to the 53-man roster in Washington, but he’s rejoining the Commanders ahead of their season opener. According to multiple reports, Jefferson will sign with the team’s practice squad. Jefferson initially signed with the team in March and was let go at the end of August. Jefferson had 29 catches for 350 yards and a touchdown while with the Titans last season. He opened his career with the Rams and spent three-plus seasons with the team before a midseason trade to the Falcons in 2023. He played for the Steelers in 2024. Terry McLaurin, Stefon Diggs, third-round pick Antonio Williams, Dyami Brown, Luke McCaffrey, Treylon Burks, and Jaylin Lane are the wideouts on the active roster for the Commanders
Washington Commanders wide receiver Dyami Brown is back in Washington for the 2026 season, where he began his NFL career, coming off a season in Jacksonville in 2025, where he hauled in 20 of his 37 targets for 227 yards and one touchdown. While he had an impressive 11.35 YPR, he finished the season as the WR114 and, through his five-year career, has never finished a season better than WR99. For his career, he has 79 receptions, 1,011 yards, and five touchdowns through the air. He finds himself in a position to fight for a starting spot in a thin Commanders wide receiver room, as Terry McLaurin is the clear wide receiver in the room to go along with Brown, Van Jefferson, Jaylin Lane, Luke McCaffrey, and third-round pick Antonio Williams. However, it will be an uphill battle for the 26-year-old, and he should not be on fantasy managers' radar in any formats as we enter draft season
After a high-profile contract disagreement that led to him missing most of last summer, Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin had his 2025 season derailed by quad and core injuries that caused him to miss seven games. The veteran wideout remained a productive player when healthy, recording 38 catches for 582 yards and three touchdowns on 60 targets across 10 games. McLaurin also has a long track record of being one of the most durable pass-catchers in the NFL, playing in 17 games in four consecutive seasons leading into 2025. McLaurin is now entering his age-31 campaign, which leads to some obvious concerns about age-related regression. However, he should have the benefit of a fully healthy offseason leading into 2026. McLaurin also profiles as the obvious number one option in the Commanders' passing game, and he'll have a chance to renew his chemistry with Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels after the two shared the field for just three games last season. As the WR24 by current redraft ADP, McLaurin could end up as a value selection for fantasy managers
A first-round pick of the Tennessee Titans in 2022, current Washington Commanders wide receiver Treylon Burks was never able to live up to his draft-day pedigree in Tennessee. However, the 26-year-old could have a second chance to establish an NFL career in Washington. After latching on with the Commanders midway through the 2025 season, Burks recorded 10 catches for 130 yards and a touchdown on 22 targets across eight games (three starts). While Burks' numbers do not leap off the page, Washington does not currently have an obvious WR2 behind star wideout Terry McLaurin. Health has been one of the main reasons why Burks has struggled as a pro, as he's missed 33 games across four seasons due to toe, knee, concussion, and collarbone issues. If he can stay on the field in 2026, Burks could establish a role in Washington going forward. Dynasty managers in deeper league formats may be wise to take a low-cost flyer on Burks
Wide receiver Treylon Burks never could live up to his first-round potential when the Tennessee Titans took him 18th overall in 2022 out of the University of Arkansas, as he caught 53 of 92 targets for 699 yards and only one touchdown in 27 games (17 starts) in his first three years in the league. The Titans eventually released the 26-year-old, and the Washington Commanders took a flier on him as they searched for WR depth behind Terry McLaurin. Burks had only 10 catches for 130 yards and one touchdown on 22 targets in eight games (three starts) in his first year in D.C. in 2025, but there were flashes of why he was considered a first-round target. Deebo Samuel Sr. won't be back in free agency, and the Commanders are still searching for depth behind McLaurin. Might Burks be that guy? NFL.com's Nick Shook suggests that a full offseason of stability could serve Burks well as he heads into Year 2 in Washington. If the Commanders don't add a big name at WR before the start of the 2026 season, Burks might be the best bet to emerge as the WR2 behind McLaurin
Brandon Aiyuk has not played for the San Francisco 49ers in almost two years, but the one-time All-Pro receiver does not believe his career is over. In fact, Aiyuk continues to stay away from the 49ers facilities, but says he wants the team to cut him, at which point he says he will immediately sign with the Washington Commanders . It’s not clear to anyone if Aiyuk will play in the NFL next season, but the Los Angeles Rams play the 49ers twice and the Commanders once. They might get their chance. In an Instagram post on Wednesday, Aiyuk reiterated his desire to be cut by the 49ers and emphasized a desire to play with the Commanders. Washington’s GM is Adam Peters, formerly of the San Francisco 49ers. It would give Aiyuk a chance to play with quarterback Jayden Daniels and pair up with Terry McLaurin . The Commanders have an apparent weakness at the position, set to start Treylon Burks and rookie Antonio Williams , if not Luke McCaffrey , Dyami Brown , or Jaylin Lane . Former Rams receiver Van Jefferson is also on the roster. It seems to leave a huge opening for Aiyuk, a receiver who had 1,342 yards in 2023, his last full season in the league. Aiyuk, a first round pick in 2020, has averaged 62 yards per game in his career. He recently turned 28. But do the Commanders want him as much as he wants to go to D.C.? The announcement implies that he’s already heard from Peters that the team is interested. The Rams play the Commanders in Week 9
Following a rash of injuries, the Washington Commanders elevated wide receiver Treylon Burks from the practice squad to the active roster for eight of the final nine games of the 2025 season. While he made only 10 catches over that time, he showed enough to earn another one-year prove-it deal from the team in free agency, and with one of the thinnest depth charts in the league behind locked-in starter Terry McLaurin, Burks has a chance to carve out a meaningful role in his fifth professional season. 2025 fourth-round pick Jaylin Lane caught only 16 passes as a rookie, but the Commanders selected Antonio Williams in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft and are expecting larger contributions from third-year professional Luke McCaffrey, who was beginning to pick up steam before a broken collarbone ended his sophomore campaign. At 6'2" and 225 pounds, Burks offers a different body type from the rest of the room, but despite a highlight-worthy primetime touchdown grab for the Commanders last season, he's found the end zone only three times in his career. At RotoBaller's dynasty WR140, the door is not completely shut for a fantasy revival, but even as part of a muddied depth chart, Burks' underwhelming history makes him little more than an unexciting stash
by Ari Koslow | Commanders Correspondent | Wed, Jun 17th 2:33am EDT Jacory Croskey-Merritt is expected to practice during mandatory minicamp on Tuesday. ( Josh Taylor on Twitter ) Fantasy Impact: Croskey-Merritt was sidelined to end voluntary OTAs. He figures to be part of a committee in the Commanders backfield heading into this season. Sounds like Bill Croskey-Merritt will be practicing at mandatory minicamp today. Wasn’t listed on DQ’s players that are out (which included Trey Amos). Gotta see how much work Bill gets the next 3 days. #Commanders Category: Injury Updates | More Jacory Croskey-Merritt : News , Rankings , Projections , Stats
Washington Commanders second-year running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt, who has missed some offseason work due to a soft-tissue injury, has the best chance to become the team's lead back in 2026, according to Zach Selby of Commanders.com. Croskey-Merritt, also known as Bill, has "quickness on the outside and has enough burst to run through creases at the line of scrimmage." The 25-year-old rushed for 805 yards in 2025, third in his draft class, and added eight touchdowns on 175 carries over 17 games (seven starts). JCM must still improve in pass protection, but he showed plenty of patience and decisiveness as a ball-carrier despite not being taken until the seventh round in the 2025 NFL draft. Croskey-Merritt was used sparingly as a pass-catcher as a rookie, hauling in nine passes on just 13 targets for 68 yards. Newcomer Rachaad White will most likely operate as Washington's primary pass-catching back, with Jerome Ford and Jeremy McNichols providing veteran depth. Ball security was another issue for JCM as a rookie, and if those issues resurface in Year 2, he could quickly lose touches to White, Ford, and McNichols. Fantasy managers should consider Croskey-Merritt as an RB3/4 with upside if he proves himself more in passing situations
Editor’s note: Each day, Hogs Haven compiles a collection of articles, podcasts & tweets from around the web to keep you in touch with the Commanders, the NFC East, the NFL and sports in general, with a sprinkling of other stuff. Enjoy! The Athletic (paywall) [R]osters aren’t solidified in June. The lack of production from last season doesn’t account for the fact that the team took wideout Antonio Williams from Clemson in the third round of April’s draft. Chig Okonkwo, a free-agent signee , gives quarterback Jayden Daniels a more dynamic element at tight end. And so much of the Commanders’ offensive potential hangs on Daniels’ health, which could easily be identified as the most important element for 2026. But there’s a reason why the names Brandon Aiyuk and Stefon Diggs still hang over the offseason. It’s because — and here’s your quiz answer — Dyami Brown , Jaylin Lane, Luke McCaffrey , Treylon Burks and Jacoby Jones don’t collectively scream, “We’re fine here.” [U]ntil Aiyuk either returns to the San Francisco 49ers ( which isn’t happening ) or is cut, and Diggs, who helped the New England Patriots to an AFC championship a year ago, signs with another team, Commanders fans have the right to wonder: Why not kick the tires? If [Brandon Aiyuk] really wants out of San Francisco — and it’s apparent that he does — then all he has to do is show up for one of the 49ers’ offseason workouts. Step on the field, and there are people who believe the Niners would cut him instantly because they don’t want to be responsible for paying him in 2026 should he get hurt in the offseason. Diggs’ ties to Washington aren’t to the quarterback or the front office, but to the city itself. He grew up in nearby Montgomery County, Md., and played college ball at Maryland. A free agent, he caught 85 balls for 1,013 yards in 2025, a season in which he turned 32. He may be on the back end of his career, but that career has featured seven 1,000-yard seasons in the last eight years. He can still play. Would signing Diggs make the Commanders’ receiving corps a strength? No. Would it take some heat off a group of pass catchers that currently doesn’t have its top two players in receptions from a year ago, Deebo Samuel and Zach Ertz ? Yes. Those 122 catches come from somewhere. Bullock’s Film Room (subscription) Through the first two weeks of OTAs, it appears as though Treylon Burks is the receiver standing out the most. Most local beat reporters have stated that Burks is getting most of the reps opposite McLaurin and when you see videos from practice, it’s typically Burks that comes up second in the receiver running order after McLaurin. As a former first round pick, Burks is obviously a talented receiver. The issues for him in Tennessee mostly revolved around struggling to stay healthy. So if he can stay healthy, could he earn that second spot in the Commanders wide receiver rankings? To judge that, we first need to see what new offensive coordinator David Blough is likely looking for from a receiver like Burks. Burks is listed at 6-foot-2, 225 pounds and is probably best suited to playing an outside receiver role in this offense. With McLaurin locking down the X receiver role, that leaves the Z receiver spot open. So what does Blough want from a Z receiver? Only he knows the actual answer to that question, but we do know that his offense is likely to be heavily influenced from his time in Detroit under Ben Johnson. So looking back at that 2023 Lions offense, how did they use the Z receiver? One of the themes of the Lions offense in 2023 was how they leaned on an interior trio of running back Jahmyr Gibbs , tight end Sam LaPorta and slot receiver Amon-Ra St.Brown . Those three carried a lot of the load working underneath and over the middle of the field. The Z receiver in that offense became a secondary option after those guys, but often you’d see the Lions use those three underneath as bait to open up a deeper crossing route for the Z receiver. An
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Washington Commanders wide receiver Treylon Burks has been one of the most disappointing first-round picks in recent history, in both the NFL and dynasty leagues, particularly because he was taken with the 18th overall pick the Titans acquired in the 2022 deal that sent three-time Pro Bowler A.J. Brown to the Eagles. Through his first four years in the league, Burks has caught 63 passes for 829 yards and two touchdowns. Even in latching on with one of the weakest receiver rooms in the league in 2025, Burks failed to make an impact across his first eight games with the Commanders, averaging 1.3 receptions per game. Washington is expected to have Terry McLaurin back at full health to begin the 2026 season, and after using a third-round pick on slot receiver Antonio Williams and spending up in free agency to land tight end Chig Okonkwo and pass-catching running back Rachaad White, Burks' spot on the roster looks precarious at best. He will still need to overtake Luke McCaffrey and 2025 fourth-round pick Jaylin Lane for a chance at a meaningful snap share, and as RotoBaller's dynasty WR139, his time as a player who needs to be held has long passed
Washington Commanders wide receiver Dyami Brown signed a one-year deal this offseason to return to the team that drafted him in 2021. Brown's single season with Jacksonville in 2025 was an unproductive one, finishing the year with only 227 yards on 20 receptions, and even though the receiver room he rejoins in Washington doesn't boast the top-to-bottom target competition of the one he left in Duval, expectations remain low from a fantasy perspective, reflected by his standing as WR129 in RotoBaller's latest dynasty rankings. Veteran Terry McLaurin is all but locked in as the top option in new coordinator David Blough's offense, and free agent additions Chig Okonkwo and Rachaad White are expected to see a healthy dose of receiving work from their respective tight end and running back positions. 2026 third-round pick Antonio Williams projects to eventually earn a full-time role in the slot, leaving Brown in competition with Luke McCaffrey and Jaylin Lane for additional targets in what has been one of the league's run-heaviest offenses since Dan Quinn took over as head coach. Having never topped 308 receiving yards or three total touchdowns in a season, Brown is not a player who needs to be rostered heading into 2026
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