Commanders could trade for Tim Patrick
The Washington Commanders have had plenty of success with veteran players a little down on their luck who manage to galvanize their careers under head coach Dan Quinn and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. General manager Adam Peters won't hesitate to roll the dice once again if he believes it can benefit the franchise.
Although he's had some devastating injury problems in recent years, Tim Patrick represents an intriguing option who could reportedly be available. He put together a full campaign with the Detroit Lions last season as a rotational piece who logged 59 percent of offensive snaps. But considering he missed the 2022 and 2023 seasons with a torn ACL and torn Achilles, respectively, staying injury-free was a major positive.
Patrick will have gained tremendous confidence from this experience. At 6-foot-5, he represents a matchup nightmare when fit and firing on all cylinders. While asking him to be a WR 1 or WR2 is a stretch, the Commanders wouldn't need that from him in this scenario.
What they'd want is for Patrick to be a red-zone asset and take away attention from others in key down and distances. That seems like an attainable objective, but whether the Lions would want to move him to an NFC rival is highly debatable.
Commanders could trade for John Metchie III
The fact that John Metchie III is playing in the league represents an achievement in itself. A prolific wide receiver at Alabama, he was diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia shortly after being selected No. 44 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans. But after successful treatment, he finally got to fulfill his dream during the 2023 campaign.
Metchie's brought in 40 receptions from 67 targets for 412 receiving yards and one touchdown over his two active seasons. It was always going to be a slow burn back to his old self, but the Texans don't have the luxury of waiting around.
This is a business, after all. Metchie made the team last summer when trade speculation was rife. The same rumors are swirling this time around, and the Texans might be more receptive depending on the compensation package.
It would be a low-risk, high-reward pickup by the Commanders. Metchie is incredibly talented. Building back momentum gradually was always the primary objective for the pass-catcher. What Peters needs to figure out is whether he could bring something different to Washington's receiver unit if he decides another fresh face is needed.
Metchie deserves a bit of good luck. Landing in Washington would represent all that and more.