The Washington Commanders will be without star wide receiver Terry McLaurin for the rest of 2026 after he tore his patellar tendon against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football before the bye week. The ripple effect down the roster has created even more frustration.
Washington will need Stefon Diggs, third-round rookie Antonio Williams, and Treylon Burks to carry the load from here on out. That's not a horrible trio of starters, but the depth behind them is thin, with Dyami Brown and Luke McCaffrey as the only other healthy options.
Naturally, the Commanders decided to call up some help from the practice squad. But the player they chose is hardly exciting.
Commanders once again trust age over youth by promoting Van Jefferson Jr.
The Commanders added seven-year veteran Van Jefferson Jr. to their active roster, a 2020 second-round pick by the Los Angeles Rams. He signed with the team last spring but did not make the initial 53-man roster, which was believed to be his last chance to prolong his NFL career.
Jefferson is on his fifth team in the past four seasons and hasn't eclipsed 400 receiving yards in a single season since 2021. He's only an emergency depth option, and no one is expecting him to produce like a starter. Nevertheless, the Commanders know what they'll be getting, and it isn't much.
As for undrafted rookie Jaden Bradley? This could have been a much more intriguing opportunity.
Jaden Bradley is the latest Commanders youngster to be shoved aside for a low-upside veteran
Promoting Jefferson instead of Bradley isn't a huge deal on its own. But it underscores a repeated flaw in the Commanders' philosophy under general manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn.
Washington doesn't prioritize developing young players. And when you're losing more than you're winning, it's an issue.
This was most evident earlier this season when the Commanders released running back Kaytron Allen, who they'd spent a sixth-round draft pick on only months earlier, and let promising undrafted free agent Robert Henry Jr. be plucked off the practice squad by the Seattle Seahawks.
All so they could keep Craig Reynolds.
Bradley had his moments in the preseason, highlighted by an acrobatic one-handed catch against the Detroit Lions. There's enough there to believe he has untapped potential to contribute in the NFL, and could possibly be as good as the Commanders' fourth-best wideout as it currently stands.
But unless even more injuries arise, we'll never find out.
Add us as a preferred source on Google