Washington Football Team: Five players to watch in Week 5 vs. Rams
4. WR Isaiah Wright
Steven Sims (toe) is set to miss at least the next three games for Washington. That’s bad news for a team that is already thin at receiver outside of Terry McLaurin.
That said, Washington will need some players to step up at receiver and provide their new starting quarterback with quality pass-catching weapons. Some will be hoping that Antonio Gandy-Golden will be able to take on a larger role in Washington, but as ESPN’s John Keim has explained, Gandy-Golden isn’t ready for a lot of action.
Instead, perhaps another rookie receiver will step up, one that has made more of an impact the past couple of games. That would be undrafted free agent Isaiah Wright.
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Over the past two games, Wright has become increasingly involved in Washington’s passing attack. He has caught 8-of-11 targets for 44 yards and has carried the ball twice for 15 yards. That doesn’t seem like a lot, but the bigger point is that Wright is getting five touches per game now.
Wright looked good with those opportunities and could be used as a weapon in the short-passing game given his solid size (6-foot-2), decent athleticism, and ability to do make plays with the ball in his hands. Maybe if Kyle Allen can threaten the defense vertically a bit more, there will be more space for Wright to operate and either way, he figures to be the team’s primary slot replacement for Sims.
Dontrelle Inman may play outside and be a red-zone threat. Logan Thomas may command some targets as well. And perhaps AGG will get some touches as he did on a 22-yard end-around earlier this season. But for now, Wright seems to have the clearest path toward playing time and targets, so keep an eye on him as a potential surprise impact player against the Rams.