This Commanders camp battle might be the fiercest one fans will see all summer

Throughout the 2024 season, the Washington Commanders struggled to develop a reliable second wide receiver. The undisputed alpha, Terry McLaurin, was a consistent threat all year long, but his primary sidekick was in a continual state of flux.

Noah Brown early. Dyami Brown later. Olamide Zaccheaus was always hovering around the edge of impact. Rookie Luke McCaffrey was mostly disappointing. At key moments late in the season, Kliff Kingsbury and Jayden Daniels were as likely to look toward forgotten veteran Jamison Crowder as any other wideout if McLaurin was unavailable.

Half of those second fiddles — Crowder, Zaccheaus, and Brown — are no longer in Washington. Adam Peters didn’t exactly go in for a complete overhaul, but he did make several key moves in the hopes of improving production behind McLaurin.

Will it matter in 2025? Will the Commanders find a companion for McLaurin? Someone like DeVonta Smith in Philadelphia or Jameson Williams in Detroit?

Of all the NFC playoff teams in 2025, none had a No. 2 wideout with fewer catches than Zacchaeus. This is an area that Peters wanted to upgrade. He accomplished that mission when he traded for former All-Pro Deebo Samuel Sr.

Samuel's best years may be behind him, but he still enters the season as the best WR2 Washington has had in the past decade.

Commanders have fierce competition brewing in the wide receiver room

If McLaurin and Samuel can maintain their standard level of productivity this year, Washington’s passing attack improves. However, they will need contributions from others if that offense is to become truly dangerous.

As of now, 10 other receivers are vying for what is likely to be four other spots. They run the gamut from once-productive veterans who are attempting comebacks to unheralded rookies looking to defy the odds by just making the roster.

Three receivers, after McLaurin and Samuel, would appear to be roster locks. A healthy Noah Brown has proven to have rapport with Daniels, especially on downfield plays. McCaffrey, despite his struggles last season, has far too much playmaking potential to be abandoned. He figures to be Washington’s first choice in the slot this season. He will be challenged by fourth-round pick Jaylin Lane, who brings explosive speed to the field.

After that, there is a genuine mixed bag of stories.

Amongst the other seven players, only one of them played an NFL game in 2024. Two of them — Ja’Corey Brooks and Jacoby Jones — are undrafted free agent rookies. Another two — Lawrence Cager and Mike Strachan — are young vets who offer great size but have only 25 total catches between them.

Chris Moore has been a modest player throughout his seven years in the league. Michael Gallup was somewhat flashier and is now attempting a comeback after his surprise retirement before the 2024 season.

Any one of those players could fight his way onto the roster. Gallup appeared to look most promising on paper, but the former Dallas Cowboy has been dealing with injuries this summer to slow his comeback.

It’s a coin flip as to which, if any, of these players might emerge, but if I’m placing a wager, it would be on the only one of these seven non-locks to have played during the 2024 season. K.J. Osborn.

The mystery surrounding Osborn’s fall last season remains an open question. The former Miami star was coming off three solid seasons with the Minnesota Vikings. Serving as the second or third receiver option, he amassed 158 receptions and 15 touchdowns. He averaged about 600 receiving yards per year.

He then signed a one-year deal with the New England Patriots for $4 million, but things simply didn’t work out. He was waived, and Peters scooped him up shortly thereafter, but he did not make a mark in Washington either.

Now he returns in a crowded field of backup receiver candidates with something to prove. Osborn has the physical hallmarks of Washington’s other top receivers. He may not be as fast as McLaurin or as powerful as Samuel, but he is not too far behind.

It is impossible to judge from the outside where his head is after that disaster in New England, but Washington chose to keep him around this year. That was by no means a certainty when last season ended. They still see potential.

If the Commanders' top five wideouts stay healthy and manage to achieve their expected production levels this season, they won’t need a dark horse. But those things are never guarantees. And we won’t even entertain the notion at this point that Peters doesn’t resolve McLaurin’s holdout long before opening day.

If that dispute lingers, then it overwhelms any other discussions about the Commanders’ receivers. It would also open a door for others to step through.

The Commanders have a lot of receivers battling to show what they can offer. A formerly-productive veteran like Osborn may be somewhere near the top of the list of these X-factors, while an unheralded, undrafted rookie like Jones may be near the bottom. But the truth is, at this point, the gap between them isn’t very big.

It will be very intriguing to watch how this battle plays out through training camp.

More Commanders news and analysis