Can Jayden Daniels Find a WR2 Behind Terry McLaurin?

The Washington Commanders are a team with many young, unproven receivers, led by a quarterback who lacks fear and, up to this point, has been given the green light to run whenever necessary. New offensive coordinator David Blough has expressed a desire to protect Jayden Daniels and get him under center more often to create more play-action opportunities. Blough also vowed to get WR Terry McLaurin 10 targets per game back in February after the Commanders hired him. But the real question continues to center around whether anybody else in Washington's receiver room can step up and be the second weapon Jayden Daniels needs.

While Daniels has proved he can get the job done on the ground, in 24 career games, he has 1,169 rushing yards on 206 carries and 8 touchdowns. Blough's vision appears to be to capitalize on Daniels' vision and talent by throwing the ball while running a good ground game to keep defenses guessing and force-feeding Terry the ball, which sounds like a great plan in theory. To get there, Blough will have to give opposing teams a reason to not just double-team McLaurin, knowing what's coming. At his disposal is a lot of talent that needs to be developed.

Washington Commanders WR Room: How the Pieces Fit

Role	Players	What It Means
Primary Target	Terry McLaurin	Still the clear coverage magnet and the one receiver defenses must account for first. He will make teams pay who do not pay attention.
Big-Body / Outside Options	Treylon Burks, Van Jefferson, Jaden Bradley, Ja'Corey Brooks	This is where Washington needs someone to win isolated matchups and punish single coverage.
Slot / Movement Pieces	Antonio Williams, Luke McCaffrey, Jaylin Lane	The most crowded part of the room, and likely the most important camp battle.
Depth / Special Teams Fight	Nick Nash, Jacoby Jones, Chris Hilton Jr.	These players likely need special teams value or a standout preseason to force their way into the picture.

The Missing Piece: The Number Two WR Conundrum

The lack of a clear-cut number two receiver is obvious enough to stand out on the Commanders' current roster. While Adam Peters is clearly banking on either McCaffrey, Williams, Burks, Brown, or Lane to step into that role, or on each playing the part equally, the team continues to play the patience game when it comes to bringing in another target. If the team signs someone, third-year franchise quarterback Jayden Daniels would prefer they bring in his former teammate (at Arizona State) and friend, current San Francisco 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk. Aiyuk has been locked in a bad-blood situation with San Francisco since last offseason, not long after signing a four 4-year, $120 million extension. Both parties want to move on, and San Francisco likely knows Aiyuk wants to be in Washington and that the Commanders are interested. They just don't want to get rid of Aiyuk without some sort of compensation, and are determined to find someone to trade for him.

Jayden Daniels hints at wanting Commanders to pick up Brandon Aiyuk

“There’s a couple individuals out there, Maybe somebody from Arizona State in my past. - “lives on the west coast?” yeah”

📸: @Nate_Tice pic.twitter.com/HEeftFKjMb
— 𝒆𝒍𝒊… (@CMNDERS) February 8, 2026

Out of all the receivers listed above, Burks is far and away the wild card of the bunch, having been selected to be AJ Brown's replacement at the 2022 NFL Draft. Since that time, injuries have kept Burks off the field and away from proving his spot in the league. He's got tons to prove this year, and could benefit from hitting the reset button on his career with a great showing at training camp.

Brandon Aiyuk Reality Check: The reason Aiyuk feels like he makes perfect sense on paper is that the Commanders need a guy who has proven he can get separation on the other side of Terry McLaurin, and the connection with Jayden Daniels has fans dreaming up possible scenarios.
Why it fits: Washington needs another reliable weapon on the outside who can threaten defenses.
Why it is complicated: San Francisco has zero reason to help Washington unless they get something in return.
Why it matters: If the Commanders do not add a veteran, the answer has to come from Burks, Williams, McCaffrey, Brown, or Lane.

Slot Receiver Position Battle on the Horizon

What the team does have is a heated battle on the horizon at the slot receiver position. The front office fell in love with Antonio Williams' Clemson film so much that they used the 71st pick on the 5-11 receiver most would describe as more slippery than speedy. Williams has a great set of hands, but has had issues staying healthy. Luke McCaffrey is sure to be in the mix after surpassing his rookie yardage input last season in only nine appearances before getting injured, not to mention averaging nearly 30 yards (29.7) per kick return across 36 career returns now. Dyami Brown is a serious deep-threat player, but hasn't shown much consistency in his young career, which led him to leave for Jacksonville via free agency last offseason. Jaylin Lane is a speedy guy looking to prove himself in year two. The team would love to get his 4.3 speed involved in more than just the return game. Add in the fact that Treylon Burks was playing the slot last season, and you see the logjam here.

While the top six names listed above all have definitive roles heading into camp, the bottom six are trying to find their way in or over the others. From that section of the list, Van Jefferson is the most likely to threaten for a roster spot. He's consistently average, nothing flashy or over the top, but can get the job done. Jaden Bradley's a big-bodied undrafted guy (6-4) who would benefit from a year on the practice squad. Which leaves me with Ja'Corey Brooks and a few other guys who will be fighting for a spot at the bottom of the practice squad. Brooks didn't get the field time he needed at Alabama during his first three years in college, but he had 1,013 yards and 9 touchdowns in 12 games with Louisville last year. He could be a name to watch in terms of guys who might come out of nowhere.

The battle for WR3 should be an interesting storyline to follow at training camp this summer. If you held my feet to the fire, below is how I see that spot sitting right now.

Antonio Williams going through individual drills pic.twitter.com/1RvD7G0PKq
— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWC) May 27, 2026

Quick Thoughts on WR3:

Antonio Williams - Have to think he's got the inside edge after the team used pick 71 on him in the draft. His college film speaks volumes, and his college coach, Dabo Sweeney, says that if he were over 6 feet, he would have been a 1st-round pick.
Treylon Burks - Washington inked him to a one-year deal worth up to $4 million for a guy who had 10 catches for 130 yards and showed some flashes down the stretch last season. Burks has the size to be the team's X receiver with ease (6-2, 225 lbs), but was caught in the NFL's version of WR hell over in Tennessee his first three injury-riddled seasons (mostly minor injuries). If the Commanders don't make a move for another weapon at the receiver position, Burks could be in a prime spot for WR2 if he shows out in preseason.
Luke McCaffrey - This year will be more of a redshirt sophomore season for Luke after losing most of last year due to a fractured collarbone. McCaffrey may fall victim to the team drafting new blood that fits the new coordinator's system better, but expect him to compete no matter what.
Dyami Brown - Dyami Brown figures to be on the outside looking in on this subject. Brown appeared to be someone on the rise in 2024, showing some flashes while starting to gel with Jayden Daniels. Then came free agency, and the Jacksonville Jaguars came calling with a 1-year, $10 million deal that Brown could not turn down. Flash-forward one year, and here we are.
Jaylin Lane - While Lane's overall receiving ability (16 catches, 225 yards) is still something that hasn't seen much field time, his punt returns have. In 15 games (4 starts), Lane averaged 13.7 yards a return on 23 returns (314 yards total) and scored twice last season (90-yarder was his longest) as a rookie.

The Commanders do not need every young receiver to hit. They need one of them to become reliable enough that defenses can no longer treat Terry McLaurin as the only weekly problem. If that player is already on the roster, training camp should reveal it quickly. If not, the Brandon Aiyuk conversation won't go away.

Sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google