10 Commanders draft picks under threat at 2024 training camp
By Jonathan Eig
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Dyami Brown - Commanders WR
- No. 82 overall | 2021 NFL Draft
Dyami Brown was selected in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He was taken seven picks ahead of Nico Collins and 30 ahead of Amon-Ra St. Brown. He was expected to be a classic Z receiver to Terry McLaurin’s X, providing the team with a legitimate downfield threat. To date, that has not happened.
Brown has managed just 29 catches for fewer than 500 receiving yards over his first three seasons with the Washington Commanders. That's nowhere near the level expected.
The former North Carolina standout has flashed brief glimpses of that potential, such as when he hauled in a 75-yard over-the-shoulder bomb from Carson Wentz back in 2022. But Brown has never been able to build on those sporadic successes.
Last season, fans were hopeful that his reunion with college teammate Sam Howell might ignite the receiver, but it was not to be. Now, he faces a lot of competition to earn a roster spot.
Free agent Olamide Zacchaeus is an established slot presence. Damiere Byrd, Kazmeir Allen, and Dax Milne can return kicks. Rookie Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint has already displayed some of the big play potential the Commanders were hoping to get from Brown.
If several of these players outperform Brown in camp, his days as a Commanders player could be over.
Jamison Crowder - Commanders WR
- No. 105 overall | 2015 NFL Draft
Jamison Crowder is the oldest player drafted by the Washington Commanders still with the team. After three fairly productive seasons - playing mostly out of the slot - he saw his 2018 campaign cut short by injury. He then left D.C. for three solid years with the New York Jets, before bouncing around over the last few campaigns.
Crowder returned to the Commanders shortly before the start of the 2023 campaign to shore up the shaky punt return game. The veteran was steady both as a returner and depth receiver.
He could probably do that again for Washington in 2024, but he will face more competition. Damiere Byrd, a very similar player, was brought in as a potential kick returner. At this point, he and Crowder might be involved in a one-on-one contest to see who gets the role.
However, should another player emerge as a kick return option, both veterans could be released in favor of younger, bigger wideouts.