4 biggest positions of need for Commanders after first wave of free agency

2. Wide Receiver

As excited as we are to see Terry McLaurin finally catch passes from a big-arm quarterback in  Carson Wentz, the team’s receiving options behind the 2019 third-round gem leave a lot to be desired. If the season started today, they’d be rolling out Curtis Samuel, Dyami Brown, Cam Sims and Dax Milne.

Do we need to say anything else?

While we like to think of Samuel as a capable No. 2 option, the speedster is essentially entering a last-chance season in 2022 after soft-tissue injuries, which never seemed to heal properly, limited him to just 84 offensive snaps.

There’s reason to believe Dyami Brown will make a second-year jump with improved quarterback play, but there’s no hiding from the fact that the 2021 third-round pick out of North Carolina was a huge disappointment as a rookie.

Sims will show his potential if the coaching staff decides to unleash him, but Washington needs to add another body to their WR corps. Like most premier positions, the most coveted free agent wideouts have already been signed.

Of the remaining pool, there’s Odell Beckham Jr., but here’s more likely to end up back with the Rams or the Packers. Either way, he’s not coming to Washington. Behind OBJ, there’s Antonio Brown (no thanks), Julio Jones, Jarvis Landry, Will Fuller, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Emmanuel Sanders and AJ Green.

Of those options, Valdes-Scantling is the most feasible for the Commanders, as the others are likely to hand pick their next quarterback. That’s what free agency has become and Washington still isn’t viewed as an ideal destination.

Because of that, look for the front office to draft a receiver with one of their first two selections in next month’s draft.