The Washington Commanders get their preseason schedule underway against the Miami Dolphins at Northwest Stadium. Very few starters are expected to play, giving a chance to those a little further down the pecking order to stake their respective claims.
And for one familiar summer riser, it's an opportunity to prove that the encouraging recent hype finally has some substance behind it.
The reports have been largely positive around wide receiver Dyami Brown this offseason. He's now back in Washington after one year with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and he's been eager to maximize his second chance.
Dyami Brown's second Commanders movie must have a different ending
But the competition for places is high.
Not everyone will go through. Good players will be removed during final cuts, and Brown is striving with everything he has to avoid this fate.
Brown never had a problem standing out at training camp. He drew buzz across his first four summers in Washington, and the same trend continued with the Jaguars last year. What's often been missing is taking this sort of form through into a game-day setting in an uncontrolled environment.
This is the biggest challenge awaiting Brown. And based on his career so far, it could even become the biggest deciding factor as to whether he gets a roster spot or not.
Everyone's job got a little tougher when the Commanders granted Stefon Diggs' homecoming wish. He's a lock to make the team along with Terry McLaurin. Antonio Williams will make it, and the drafted duo of Jaylin Lane and Luke McCaffrey have too much value in the return game to cut loose. Treylon Burks is a favorite of new offensive coordinator David Blough, so he should be around as well.
If the Commanders take through six wideouts, Brown will probably be on the outside looking in. But if Washington allocates the receiver unit seven spots, the 2021 third-round pick out of North Carolina has a fighting chance.
Consistency is key for Dyami Brown over Commanders' preseason
In this scenario, Brown will be battling with veteran Van Jefferson Jr. and undrafted rookie Jaden Bradley for the final position. Both of his teammates have also flashed this summer, so preseason efforts will no doubt be a telling part of their assessment process.
Talk is cheap for Brown. Making highlight-reel catches at camp is no longer enough. He must demonstrate his reliability when it counts, especially when others are vying for a role. The Commanders have already seen this movie, so it needs a different ending.
Brown knows the magnitude of his situation. The pass-catcher believes he is a different player from the one who left Washington for Jacksonville last spring. He's displaying a renewed sense of urgency, and his established connection with quarterback Jayden Daniels remains encouraging.
That will count for nothing if the same problems continue when preseason targets come his way.
And for the Commanders, seeing is believing.
What comes next is down to Brown. He's got the athletic tools. He's got momentum. But until the Commanders' confidence in his consistency increases, it could legitimately go either way.
And whether it's Daniels or anyone else distributing the football in Washington's preseason curtain-raiser, Brown must deliver or risk getting left behind.
It's that simple.
Add us as a preferred source on Google