Washington Commanders Biggest Remaining Hole on the Roster

According to one analyst the Washington Commanders still need help at a position they addressed in the NFL Draft.

Oct 2, 2022; Arlington, Texas, USA; Washington Commanders wide receiver Jahan Dotson (1) celebrates / Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

The Washington Commanders spent nine NFL Draft picks on nine different position groups, and that came after turning over nearly half the roster this offseason via free agent signings and releases.

Still, even though the Commanders have done a lot of remodeling in a short period of time there's no doubt the team still has holes to fill with little time remaining this offseason to do so.

The fact of the matter is the rebuilding of Washington into a yearly NFL contender isn't likely going to take one offseason. And even while one ESPN analyst says wide receiver depth is still a major concern for the team, it's not likely to be fully fixed before 2025.

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"Here's another team with a surprising lack of holes in the starting lineup. That's what happens when you have a couple of years with a lot of draft capital and follow that up with a lot of free agent signings," wrote ESPN's Aaron Schatz. "The biggest issue with the Commanders might be figuring out the wide receivers behind the great Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson. They're depending on rookie Luke McCaffrey to come in as the main slot receiver immediately, and we'll have to see whether the 100th overall pick can make that happen. Behind McCaffrey, Washington has Dyami Brown, who has never lived up to his potential and caught just 12 passes last season; veteran Olamide Zaccheaus, who had just 10 catches for the Eagles in 2023; and Dax Milne, who lost all of last season to a groin injury. Jamison Crowder is also here, but he will be 31 years old and has just 22 catches in the past two seasons."

There's a lot of specific ability in the Commanders' receiver room this year, but only McLaurin and Dotson have proven thus far they can be relied on as three-down contributors. Even then, both suffered setbacks last season when the arrival of assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy was expected to launch each into the next tier of NFL receivers.

Despite throwing the ball nearly 40-50 on a weekly basis the Washington passing attack never fully developed last season.

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This year, with new offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury and rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels at the controls the hope is the unit as a whole will be more effective overall without the need to throw at a record-setting pace.

Even if it comes to fruition in year one, and the Commanders offense looks like a more efficient unit, it's highly likely the receiver room in 2024 will look much different in 2025 and beyond.

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Stick with CommanderGameday and the Locked On Commanders podcast for more coverage of the Washington Commanders throughout the 2024 season.