Who Will Be the Commanders’ No. 2 Pass Catcher? Great Question.

There are many questions surrounding the Washington Commanders ahead of the 2026 season: Can a revamped, younger defense come together? Who is the starting running back? Who will win the kicking competition?

But based on media coverage and fan speculation, most interest this offseason seems to be centered not on a No. 1 option, but a No. 2.

Veteran Terry McLaurin is and has been the clear No.1 receiving option for Washington, as evidenced by two Pro Bowl appearances and five consecutive 1,000-yard seasons from 2020-24. But after spending their first-round draft pick on linebacker Sonny Styles, letting No. 2 receiver Deebo Samuel walk and not having a single receiver, outside of McLaurin, who had more than 350 yards last season, Washington faces questions about the No. 2 pass-catching weapon for Jayden Daniels this season.

At this point in the offseason, coaches won’t divulge which way they’re leaning on any individual player. But they have said over the last few weeks that they’re content with the receivers they have on the roster.

“I’ve been really pleased with the entire receiver room,” offensive coordinator David Blough said during the second week of OTAs. “We talk about it like you’re trying to build a basketball roster: You don’t want all guys who can do the same thing.”

What that room looks like right now: McLaurin is the clear starter, followed by 10 receivers looking to join him. Nick Nash, Chris Hilton, Jacoby Jones and Jaden Bradley (who shined during the first day of minicamp in 7-on-7s and 11-on-11s) are likely long shots to make the team, let alone become starters. Seven-year veteran Van Jefferson’s best days may be behind him, but his 350 yards last fall with the Tennessee Titans makes him the most productive of the 10. Dyami Brown, a third-round pick from 2021, returns after a one-year sabbatical in Jacksonville. Antonio Williams, a versatile slot receiver out of Clemson, was taken in the third round of April’s draft, so he will at least get an opportunity to carve out a role. And then there’s Jaylin Lane, Treylon Burks and Luke McCaffrey, all of whom were on the roster last season but didn’t have the production one would expect for a starting receiver: The trio combined for 37 receptions and 558 yards in 2025.

Rookie Antonio Williams, taken in the third round of April’s draft, should see plenty of opportunities to carve out a role. Luis M. Alvarez/AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez

But what the receiver room lacks in production, it makes up for in competitiveness, according to both coaches and players. When asked who, aside from McLaurin, has stood out among the receivers so far this offseason, head coach Dan Quinn made sure to mention those assumed to be lower on the depth chart, including Lane and Jefferson. The latter had a toe-tapping, back-of-the-endzone catch during a two-minute drill on Day 2 of minicamp.

“You can tell we’re all out here making plays, and …. we know its no hard feelings about any of it,” said Burks, a 2022 first-round draft pick by the Titans who signed with Washington last year. “It’s just go out there and play the game, and so we attack it each day and just have fun with it.”

Outside of the team facility, there have been near-constant rumors about Washington’s potential interest in San Francisco 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk or free agent Stefon Diggs. But the Commanders have not engaged with the speculation: Quinn no-commented when asked about Aiyuk at OTAs earlier this month while running back Rachaad White, a former college teammate of Aiyuk’s, added, “I can’t really get too much into it because you don’t know what you don’t know, but we’ll just see what happens.”

Both Aiyuk and Diggs could bring the explosive playmaking skills that Blough will surely covet this season. The pair have nearly 16,000 combined yards and 99 receiving touchdowns across their careers. But Aiyuk has not received his long-anticipated release from the 49ers yet, and Diggs, a Maryland native, has been sitting on the open market since March, so the rumors surrounding Washington may be just that — rumors.

The pass catchers on the roster have heard all of that noise, but they don’t seem fazed by it.

“Nothing anybody else does is going to change my mindset,” said Lane, the team’s fourth-round pick in 2025. “I’m out here to get better each and every day, earn my way to whatever I get. … Whatever I get is in God’s hands. All that noise and stuff — whatever happens is going to happen. But my mindset’s not going to change.”

Tight end Chig Okonkwo was signed as a free agent after playing four seasons with the Titans. Sipa USA/Sipa USA via AP

Despite all the speculation, Washington’s No. 2 pass catching open may not come from the receiver room. Tight end Chig Okonkwo, signed from Tennessee in March, showed good chemistry with Daniels at OTAs. Daniels likes his tight ends — starter Zach Ertz was second on the team in targets (91) and red-zone touchdowns (7) in 2024 — and Okonkwo is one of the league’s most explosive athletes at the position. The fifth-year veteran led the Titans in receiving yards (560) last year and was tied for 14th among all pass-catchers in yards after catch per reception (6.4).

Okonkwo believes the team has a talented and explosive group of receivers, but he also understands that transactions — and the rumors they fuel — are just a part of the game.

“Its the NFL, [you’re] trying to get as many good players as you can on one team so you can be great,” he said. “So if we add more pass catchers, then that’s great.”

Daniels, who is looking to rebound from an injury-filled sophomore season, said he likes what he sees from the current roster, especially Okonkwo.

“Give him the ball in space and he can make a lot happen,” the quarterback said.

Daniels added that it’s early in the offseason and everyone is still learning Blough’s new playbook.

“We’ve all grown over this offseason, so it’ll be fun [for] everybody to come back,” Daniels said. “Now we’re more comfortable and we’ll know the installs, how we want to attack each play, but it’ll be fun to see what we can do at training camp.”