1 Commanders player in danger of losing starting job after OTAs

The Washington Commanders are still trying to put the pieces of their wide receiver group together. That’s true even though Terry McLaurin is excited about his potential target share. But with that position in flux overall, here is one Commanders player in danger of losing his starting job after OTAs.

Trying to hold his position is third-year wideout Luke McCaffrey. Let’s look at what McCaffrey brings to the table. He’s 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds. Not small, but not imposing, either. The Commanders spent a third-round pick on him in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Sure, he has the pedigree — son of Ed, brother of Christian. But pedigrees don’t catch passes or win football games.

Does WR Luke McCaffrey have what it takes to be an NFL starter?

In his first NFL season, he did next to nothing as a receiver. Four starts, 18 catches for 168 yards. OK, give him a rookie pass.

However, in season two, he produced another underwhelming stat line. With zero starting assignments on a bad team, he totaled a miserable 11 catches for 203 yards. He did score three touchdowns. Kudos for those scoring plays.

McCaffrey is currently WR2 on the Commanders’ depth chart. Now, I don’t get paid like Commanders GM Adam Peters or head coach Dan Quinn. But if McCaffrey is the best the Commanders have for the No. 2 wide receiver, the prediction is easy. Quinn will be a defensive coordinator with another team next year. And Peters will be looking for an assistant GM role outside of Washington.

So, what are the options? The only in-house pivots are Treylon Burks, Dyami Brown, and Jaylin Lane. Yes, that trio’s level is why McCaffrey is currently WR2.

However, Burks presents the biggest threat to McCaffrey. He hasn’t done anything of note in four NFL seasons, but at least he can claim injury woes. He’s a former first-round pick, so he has the tools.

Burks was compared to AJ Brown when he was drafted. That is why you should take every draft analysis with a grain of salt. Burks is so far from Brown that he can’t even see him with binoculars.

And yet, the Commanders put their roster together with Burks threatening the starting mix. That’s why you may see Commanders fans’ shoulders slumping in unison.

The Commanders’ in-house problem

When you’re the head coach, you have to pump up the cards you have in your hands. And that’s what Quinn did when asked about whether the Commanders would add another free-agent receiver, according to Audacy.com via commanderswire.com.

“We’re working hard and doing well with the guys we got,” Quin said. “Adam (Peters) and his crew are always digging in and working. But we really like the crew that we are working with right now. They’re absolutely busting their ass.”

“We really like the crew…” on the record probably sounds a lot more like “We desperately need help” behind closed office doors.

The good news is rookie Antonio Williams will probably be — for better or worse — the WR2 when the season begins. Quinn said he’s pumped about Williams, according to clemsonwire.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.”

Williams has things that McCaffrey doesn’t possess.

“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 that still leaves a weak spot if McCaffrey is the starter.

The most obvious way the Commanders could get out of the McCaffrey hole is by signing a free agent. Stefan Diggs and Brandon Aiyuk are both available. Either presents an upgrade over McCaffrey.

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