The Washington Commanders' wide receiver situation continues to be the subject of much debate, as it has been all offseason.
After the Brandon Aiyuk saga seemingly ran its course, attention has turned to DMV native Stefon Diggs, who remains unsigned. And with training camp underway, it's time to make a difficult decision.
The Commanders' young wideouts have reportedly made strides at camp. Antonio Williams, Luke McCaffrey, Treylon Burks, and Jaylin Lane will all have chances to play pivotal roles in the offense as it stands. Diggs' arrival could change that in an instant.
Commanders' camp hype with young receivers must not cloud their Stefon Diggs judgment
Last year, all anybody could talk about was how Washington needed to trust its internal development instead of holding back the youngsters' growth by giving their snaps to aging veterans.
But this isn't Chris Moore. It isn't Noah Brown. It's Stefon Diggs. A player who eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards last year and helped the New England Patriots reach the Super Bowl.
What do you do?
The Commanders have reportedly been monitoring Diggs' situation and remain a strong candidate to sign the former Maryland Terrapins playmaker. It's a question of whether general manager Adam Peters feels the need to pull the trigger.
Diggs brings some off-field baggage and has been known to be an explosive personality at times. But he's also a winner, and the Commanders can't afford to waste another year of quarterback Jayden Daniels' rookie contract with mediocre weapons for their franchise passer.
Stefon Diggs has something the Commanders' young wideouts don't
Terry McLaurin is the go-to guy, which is a reality Diggs will hopefully be able to accept if he signs in Washington. But aside from him, no one else in the Commanders' receiver room has proven themselves as even a starting-caliber wideout in the NFL.
Burks, Williams, McCaffrey, and Lane are all projections of potential, and with the exception of the third-round rookie, we've heard good things about them over the summer before. Dyami Brown and Van Jefferson Jr. are more experienced, but their production is sketchy at best.
This camp positivity means nothing if Washington's young pass-catchers can't show it between September and December. And they haven't done enough to give them the benefit of the doubt.
If the Commanders don't end up adding Diggs, there must be some legitimate reasons why. He may not be considered a great fit for the culture, or he may prefer to sign elsewhere instead.
But from a pure production standpoint, there should not be a world in which Washington chooses the likes of Burks and McCaffrey over what the four-time Pro Bowler could bring to David Blough's offense.
That would be organizational malpractice.
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