Commanders’ potential 2026 breakout star after strong OTAs showing

Nobody seems to know if the Washington Commanders will actually get Brandon Aiyuk. And the receiver group needs to be good if the team is going to be a playoff contender. But here is a Commanders’ potential breakout star after a strong showing in the team’s OTAs.

And it’s because of opportunity. The Commanders don’t have any major blocking point to keep rookie Antonio Williams from making a first-year splash. The Commanders got him in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft. And it’s an open road to targets for the young player.

Commanders WR Antonio Williams could emerge

The 5-foot-11, 187-pound receiver brings a history of making plays to the Commanders. He scored 21 career touchdowns in college. And no matter how you slice it, that means he knows how to get open in tight spaces. And it means he can make contested catches when the windows are thin.

Pair Williams with Jayden Daniels, and the Commanders have a place to build things. The smoothness of Williams gives him an advantage, according to The Athletic.

“Though not overly sudden, Williams is a controlled, fluid athlete and competes with a slow heartbeat,” Dane Brugler wrote. “He does a great job reading leverage out of the slot to give his quarterback a target and catches the ball cleanly with his hands. I expected there to be more explosive plays on his 2025 tape (ranked 196th in the FBS with just eight catches of 20-plus yards), but he consistently stood out when studying the Clemson offense.

“Williams is a competitive, versatile athlete — and there is more to his game than meets the eye. He isn’t a ‘slot-only’ receiver, but he projects best inside and has some Khalil Shakir to his game.”

There’s a lot to like about what Williams brings to the NFL table.

Commanders head coach Dan Quinn sold on WR Antonio Williams

It’s about knowing how to play the position, Quinn said, according to clemsonwire.usatoday.com.

“I think one thing that you say, right off the bat, like man, this guy has feel,” Quinn said. “He knows when to stop, he knows how to adjust – he just has awareness already as like a big-time receiver. He’s got great hands, great movements to go.

“He’s off to a hell of a start. … He has definitely been one [of the rookies] that has absolutely jumped out. He’s got real skill about him. So, yeah, we’re really pumped about Antonio.”

The nuances of route running are clearly a strength for Williams.

“I think when everybody sees him as the route-runner, you’re going to see him absolutely be able to break people off his option routes, in-breaking routes, out-breaking routes – all the different elements that go along with that as a route-runner,” Quinn said. “He can stop, he can change directions, explosive. Those are a few of the things that jump out to us.

“But it’s just the feel. It’s not just a height, weight, speed thing – this guy’s got real natural feel as a receiver. That can be a hard thing to measure, but when you see it, you know exactly what it looks like. And Antonio has it, man, in the biggest way.”

And you don’t even have to read between the lines. The Commanders are going to pepper Williams with targets.

Yes, Terry McLaurin will get his share. But the No. 2 spot on the target list is up for grabs. It’s hard to see Luke McCaffrey getting a bunch. Ditto for Treylon Burks.

One of the best things about Williams’ situation is the opportunity. Another is the coaching staff’s willingness to turn him loose. If the latter happens, Williams could be in the mix for rookie of the year votes.

And don’t expect Williams to be held back with a slot role. General manager Adam Peters said the young player is much more than that, according to commanderswire.com.

“He can play Z and F, or you know, Z and slot,” Peters said. “And so, he’ll work at both of those. The things that he can show you can play outside. He’s not huge, but he is not small. He’s just a hair under six feet, and he’s a really tough player. And he’s got really good releases. He plays really fast. So those things allow him to win on the outside versus bigger corners.”