Final audition could change everything for Commanders' wide receiver hopefuls

Adam Peters, Dan Quinn, and Kliff Kingsbury have a crossroads moment coming up. They must cut their roster to 53 players after the Washington Commanders' final preseason game.

In his offseason moves, Peters has made it pretty clear that he has shifted into a win-now phase of roster construction. Just how far he is going will be most apparent in the decisions the Commanders make at the wide receiver position.

Terry McLauri n and Deebo Samuel Sr. are locked in as Washington’s top two wideouts. Both are 29 years old, as is presumptive WR3 Noah Brown. As a trio, they form a versatile set of weapons for Jayden Daniels.

Commanders' wide receiver depth options face make or break moment in preseason finale

Behind them, rookie Jaylin Lane adds youth and speed. Notwithstanding health and holdouts, those four are locks to make the Commanders’ roster. Washington is likely to keep six receivers, which leaves two spots up for grabs. That’s where Peters’ choices become interesting.

Second-year man Luke McCaffrey is likely to make the team, but it’s no longer a sure thing. Fans have been waiting for the former Rice star to show signs of why Pete rs chose him in the third round of last year’s draft. He has the athleticism to make plays, but so far, he simply hasn’t done it on the field.

McCaffrey hasn’t even shown flashes, save for maybe on a punt return or two. Even there, he has looked fairly average.

Peters has already cut one member of his inaugural draft class, so he is not beyond axing players simply because he chose them. It would be a bolder move to walk away from a third-rounder after just one season, but there is an outside chance of it happening.

Against the Baltimore Ravens, McCaffrey just needs to show the coaches something. A big catch would be best, but just getting open consistently, or making a huge block or special teams play, may be all it takes. He can’t continue to be invisible.

The remaining combatants fall into two ca mps. There are the veterans and the kids.

Michael Gallup has the most intriguing pedigree. Amongst the backup hopefuls, he is the one player who has proven he can make plays downfield in the NFL. The fact that he has yet to show this in Washington is concerning.

Gallup has not averaged better than 13 yards per catch since 2020. He was out of football all last year through retirement to further raise doubts.

If Gallup can convert a deep shot against the Ravens, that could go a long way toward securing a spot. Just showing he still can get open could be enough, since there is every chance that neither of the Commanders' backup quarterbacks could hit him with an accurate throw.

K.J. Osborn is a more complete receiver. At least he has shown that in the past. He can run a variety of routes. But like Gallup, he simply hasn’t shown it yet this preseason.

Osborn doesn’t necessarily have to get deep like Gallup. He needs to show he can get open on short and intermediate routes, and that he has the sure hands to make catches.

There’s still something odd about how he simply vanished once he signed with the New England Patriots in 2024. Osborn must show that he can still play at the level he did on the Minnesota Vikings.

Those with less NFL experience or none at all are headed up by undrafted free agent Ja’Corey Brooks. He has great physical gifts. He has shown that both in practice and preseason games. He has been the Commander s' top receiver in the preseason, catching five of his six targets for 66 yards.

Brooks doesn’t have elite speed, but he has excellent body control and strong hands. This makes him very solid in contested and difficult catch situations.

If Brooks has another strong game against the Ravens, it will be hard to keep him off the roster. He could easily take a spot from one of the veterans.

Tay Martin is also in this conversation, even though he is a long shot. He has arguably been Washington’s best receiver through two games. He has caught all four of his targets, including a nifty move on a two-point conversion against New England to cement this claim.

Martin is not a kid. He is closer in age to McLaurin and Samuel than to Lane and McCaffrey. He has a history with Peters from their days in San Francisco. He is most likely headed for a practice squad invite, but if he continues to make plays, he may become a surprise on cut-down day.

The Commanders were in a similar position last summer with a couple of young wideouts shining during camp and the preseason. There wasn’t much chance they were going to unseat veterans like Olamide Zaccheaus or Dyami Brown, and they did not. But one of those kids — Mitchell Tinsley — just burned Washington in a preseason game.

Perhaps that will have Peters and his coaches looking at this year’s wide receivers in a slightly different light.

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