Skip to main content
Commander Country

Commanders Need More From Chig Okonkwo, but the Problem Goes Beyond Him

Chig Okonkwo has managed just four receptions for 21 yards in two games, leaving Washington searching for answers at tight end as its offensive struggles continue.
Henry Brown|
Sep 13, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Washington Commanders tight end Chig Okonkwo (85) celebrates after getting a first down against the Philadelphia Eagles during the second half at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Sep 13, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Washington Commanders tight end Chig Okonkwo (85) celebrates after getting a first down against the Philadelphia Eagles during the second half at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In this story:

Washington Commanders

The Washington Commanders, like most 1-3 operations in the first month of the NFL regular season, have produced numerous players and position groups who could contend for the distinction of their roster's most disappointing element.

Even if it entered the season with minimal hype, the offensive line has crumbled about as dramatically as anyone could have imagined, with their two best blockers presently down for the count. Other playmakers like Terry McLaurin and Jacory "Bill" Croskey-Merritt have fluctuated between exciting and inefficient, while someone like Mike Sainristil has completely careened from Washington's secondary rotation, with some of the lowest defensive metrics of anyone league-wide.

Some of those key Commanders have been loud in their letdowns, but Chig Okonkwo deserves a shout of his own, given how little he's factored into the group's equation through four weeks. His lingering hamstring injury has to be mentioned for keeping him out of Washington's Week 2 and 3 matchups- the first absence of his professional career- but 21 yards on four receptions and seven targets just can't go undiscussed.

How have the Commanders Utilized Okonkwo's Skillset?

It's important to note that Okonkwo isn't Zach Ertz, and that's more or less the tight-end archetype that fans have grown to anticipate within their offense.

Okonkwo more closely resembles a big receiver than Ertz, someone who could regularly find openings 10 yards out and nab easy first downs as Jayden Daniels' go-to checkdown read before he shredded his knee last season. It wasn't exciting, but it required strong footwork and a veteran awareness that was easily taken for granted.

Former Washington Commanders Tight End Zach Ertz and Quarterback Jayden Daniels
Oct 19, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz (86) and quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) celebrate after scoring a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys during the first quarter of the game at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ertz's replacement, meanwhile, is more likely to try beating coverages with his raw speed, and he's failed to beat the Philadelphia Eagles' or Indianapolis Colts' defenses in two outings. And with Washington’s quarterback situation having changed repeatedly over the last few weeks, that lack of a security blanket has been particularly glaring.

Again, this is based purely on two games' worth of snaps. Okonkwo will benefit greatly from a more consistent passing game once Daniels returns and McLaurin and Diggs are healthy, because he's likely getting very little help from his positional understudies.

The Commanders' Need for an Okonkwo Resurgence

Even if Okonkwo was never a star with the Tennessee Titans, his stable average of 450-560 yards a season sounded pretty nice when the tight end room was left without its pass-catching starter for two games.

For all the good things we can say about John Bates' willingness to stay committed to blocking in an overtasked role, he'll never force a defense's hand when he drifts downfield into open space. That's to say nothing of reserves like Ben Sinnott and Colson Yankoff, who've fallen short of leveraging their respective talents into every-down roles; despite playing eight combined games to Okonkwo's two, they've each failed to eclipse the starter's paltry yardage total of 21.

Prodigies like Brock Bowers and Trey McBride aren't walking through the Commanders' facility anytime soon, and the following draft is still 13 games away. If the team has any hope of getting anything out of its disappointing tight end rotation, it'll come down to freeing Okonkwo up by taking pressure off him with other receiving threats and giving the quarterback enough protection to find him. That means a cleaner pocket for the quarterback, more play-calling and route-running diversions, and ideally, enough health to return as many receiving threats to the starting lineup as possible.

David Blough has passed most of the adaptive tests thrown his way, so consider the Okonkwo dilemma just another schematic puzzle for the new offensive coordinator to solve with his makeshift remains.

Get your Commanders updates delivered instantly to your phone by subscribing to our Facebook Messenger News Channel.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published | Modified
Henry Brown
HENRY BROWN

Henry covers the Washington Wizards with prior experience as a sports reporter with The Baltimore Sun, The Capital Gazette, and The Lead. A Bowie, MD, native, he also handles On SI’s Wizards beat, extending his DMV coverage, and has earned his journalism degree from the University of Maryland.

Home/News