Should Washington Commanders Spend 2025 NFL Draft Capital for Cincinnati Bengals WR?

The Washington Commanders could use some receiver help, but is trading future draft capital to the Cincinnati Bengals the answer?

David Harrison | Jun 1, 2024

Nov 27, 2022; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (85) celebrates after a touchdown during the second half against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports / Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

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The Washington Commanders drafted wide receiver Luke McCaffrey this April and added veterans Olamide Zaccheus and Damiere Byrd, and undrafted free agent Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint is a sleeper to make the roster.

Still, and even with Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson leading the room, there are plenty who see room for further improvement in the Commanders' receiver group.

And that is where Bleacher Report's Maurice Moton is tapping into when listing Washington as an organization that could present a trade package for wide receiver Tee Higgins to the Cincinnati Bengals that the team would have to listen to.

"The Washington Commanders have the second-most cap space with $43.4 million. They can allocate a chunk of that cap space to Higgins' new contract with the intent to do everything possible to help (quarterback) Jayden Daniels get off to a quick career start," Moton says. "Washington can afford to be aggressive in acquiring playmakers while Daniels is on a rookie deal."

Nov 27, 2022; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (85) celebrates after a touchdown during the second half against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

"Washington can afford to be aggressive in acquiring playmakers while Daniels is on a rookie deal."
- Maurice Moton, Bleacher Report

Moton's trade proposal has the Commanders offering a second and fourth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft in exchange for the talented receiver.

The thing is, Commanders general manager Adam Peters has said several times he and the team plan to build through the NFL Draft while supplementing the roster through free agency and other moves to bring in talented veterans.

At first glance it would appear sending two picks for one player many not fit that mold, but Higgins is just 25 years old - turning 26 in January of 2025 - and locking him into a longterm deal is certainly feasible given the team's current and future cap situation.

In fact, front loading a new deal for Higgins to join Washington would actually make a lot of sense with the team projected to have around $100 million in salary cap space next offseason on top of what it currently has today.

Higgins solves another issue many Commanders fans would love to see addressed. At six-foot-four-inches tall he'd easily be the tallest receiver on the roster.

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

Published Jun 1, 2024

DAVID HARRISON

David Harrison has covered the NFL since 2015 as a digital content creator in both written and audio media. He is the host of Locked On Commanders and a graduate of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. His previous career was as a Military Working Dog Handler for the United States Army. Contact David via email at david.w.harrison82@gmail.com or on Twitter @DHarrison82.