Who are the Commanders’ boom or bust candidates for the 2022 season?

Bust – Dyami Brown, WR

Fellow Riggo’s writer Jacob Troutman noted how poorly Brown played in the second pre-season game, and how his stock is falling. I just want to elaborate a little bit on that.

Brown was taken in the third round of the 2021 draft, just two years after Terry McLaurin was selected, also in the third round. He had produced a number of big plays in college. The team had recently signed free agent Curtis Samuel, and Brown was supposed to be part of a revitalized receiving corps.

After a subpar, injury-plagued rookie season, the Commanders extended McLaurin and used their 2022 first-round draft pick on Jahan Dotson. That means that from right around the time Washington acquired Brown, they have invested more than $100 million (Samuel and McLaurin) and a first-round draft pick (Dotson) IN OTHER RECEIVERS.

In a best-case scenario, Brown holds onto his No. 4 position on the depth chart, but even if he does, there may be games in the coming season when he is not active. That’s because the two receivers likely slotted after him are more valuable to the team on any given Sunday. Cam Sims is a special teams stud and Dax Milne may well be the team’s punt returner this season. Both can be productive receivers.

Brown’s play could trump these concerns, but the bottom line is that he just hasn’t produced anywhere near to the level that he needs to. With three similarly versatile receivers ahead of him, Brown figures to most comfortably fit as a Z receiver, or a downfield threat in 4-wide sets. But he has not shown the ability to create separation at the NFL level. If he can’t do that, none of the rest matters. Unfortunately for Brown, even if he does show some improvement, it may not be enough to make him more than an afterthought.