Washington Football Team: Under-the-radar free agents team could sign on offense
WR Keelan Cole, Jaguars
The receiver position is loaded in free agency this year. There are a lot of top-tier options on the market, but there are also some nice lower-level options that could be available.
There are a couple that could appeal to the Washington Football Team as potential top backups/WR3s. One is Josh Reynolds of the Los Angeles Rams and the other is Keelan Cole from the Jaguars.
That said, we’re going with Cole in this spot. He’s not the flashiest player in the world, but he simply gets the job done when he’s on the field.
Washington Commanders
Cole has been with the Jaguars for four years. During his career, he has only started 23 of 64 games, but he has averaged about 40 catches for 560.5 yards and three TDs per season. Cole has always been healthy, has averaged 14.1 yards per catch, and has a knack for stretching the field. He’s not the fastest player, but his speed is good enough and his ability to gain separation is strong.
Cole has served as a No. 2 receiver for the Jaguars at times but has also served as a top backup. With Washington, he would more likely fill a depth role on the team or serve as a stopgap until a younger player is ready to serve as a starter across from Terry McLaurin.
In some ways, Cole is similar to Cody Latimer, who Washington signed last year. Latimer wins in a different way than Cole, as his speed is the main reason that he is a downfield threat, but they are both veterans that would provide depth and spot-starter ability for the team. Latimer never played for Washington after being suspended and released by the team, but Cole could play the role the team envisioned Latimer would play.
Cole isn’t nearly as attractive as the top-tier guys like Allen Robinson, Chris Godwin, and JuJu Smith-Schuster, but if Washington wants a bang-for-your-buck type player with some upside remaining, Cole qualifies. He’s still just 27 and if given a big enough role, he could play well. And at the very least, he’d surely be an upgrade as a top backup.