NOTE: THIS IS A REVISIT OF AN ARTICLE THAT I ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 7th OF THIS YEAR. I HOPE YOU ENJOY MY CURRENT RUMINATIONS ON MY PRESEASON THOUGHTS ABOUT 27 FREE AGENTS.
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A note from Bill: As always, it’s worth noting that I am no more
qualified than any other NFL fan to assess players. My role as a writer on Hogs Haven is based primarily on having sufficient time and motivation to post articles daily combined with the ability to spell most of the words correctly.
What follows is a repeat of an exercise I did last year — basically just a long comment that I am throwing out for your consideration on this fine May morning, now that the roster is nearly complete.
Today seems like a good time to go on record with my thoughts about the men who comprise Washington’s 2026 veteran free agent signings & re-signings.
No. 1 QB Marcus Mariota (re-signed, 1 year)
In 2024, I was deeply disappointed when I learned that the Commanders had signed Mariota to a $6m one-year deal. Well, MM made me a believer with everything he did that season. Last year, I was thrilled to have him back at $8m. This year, I might’ve been ready to move on to a younger, cheaper backup if there hadn’t been so much turmoil; with the change at OC, QB coach and OL coach, continuity with Mariota feels like it’s worth the $7.3m cap hit that OTC reports for the position. Hopefully, next season, the backup will be Athan Kaliakmanis, or someone similar.
UPDATE: It feels as if the Week 3 win over the Seahawks has already justified the investment in Mariota. I hope he’ll spend the rest of the season on the bench. Bonus thought: I thought the Week 4 glimpse of Kaliakmanis was promising.
No. 2 P Tress Way (re-signed, 1 year)
Normally, I’d be saying that a 36-yr-old punter being paid over $3m per year should be replaced by a younger, cheaper option, but Tress, our longest-tenured player, is a good punter, great holder, locker room leader, and active in the community. As long as he keeps doing all those things well for a cap hit of around $1.5m on a 4-year qualifying contract, I’m happy to see him coming back for another year. Here’s hoping he’s on the sidelines for the opening game at the new stadium in 2030!
UPDATE: Tress has now said that 2026 is probably his final season, and that’s okay. He has also said he wants to take his family back to Oklahoma, which is a shame for the fans because I always envisioned him retiring in the DC area and becoming a fixture in local NFL media. He’s had to do far too much work in the early part of the season; let’s hope he spends much more time on the sidelines in the final 11 regular season games of his fine career.
No. 3 OL Trent Scott (re-signed, 1 year)
Washington is Trent Scott’s 4th team, and in every year of his 8-year career, he has started at least one game (and has 27 total starts in his career, including 3 last season) although he saw the field for just 82 snaps in 2025. In 2024, he seemed to surprise everyone when he stepped in at RG and played pretty well when Sam Cosmi was lost to an ACL tear. A year ago, it felt inevitable that he would make the 53-man roster. This year, I think he may be on the roster bubble behind Tunsil, Conerly, Coleman, and Wylie. I could see him ending up on the practice squad or signing with another team.
UPDATE: It seems like I got the temperature read just about right on this one; Trent Scott did, indeed, end up on Washington’s practice squad. It almost makes me wonder if he should get a shot at playing on the left side of the line.
Nos. 4 – 6 WRs Dyami Brown, Treylon Burks & Van Jefferson (all 1 year)
Each of these guys got a contract worth between $1.26m and $1.99m in 2026. I think Van Jefferson ends up being the odd man out, with Burks & Brown both getting regular snaps, but with neither likely to have more than 30 or so catches or more than 300 or so yards; however, if one catches fire, the other will probably be relegated to the end of the bench. Any of these guys could get displaced by a great training camp & preseason by a player like Ja’Corey Brooks or Jacoby Jones.
UPDATE: If you read the sentence that I bolded, it seems to have played out pretty much exactly as expected though Burks & Brown are slightly ahead of my projection. Jefferson is on the practice squad (and he could possibly see some regular season playing time if injury continues to cut into the current WR room). Brown is on track for 266 yards in 17 games while Burks in tracking for 430 yards. Dyami has contributed as a special teams returner; Treylon has not.
No. 7 RB Jeremy McNichols
I like McNichols, but the Commanders RB room is competitive enough that there may not be room for him to make the 53-man roster for the 3rd year in a row. I think that Bill Croskey-Merritt, Fatman Allen and Rachaad White are roster locks. For McNichols to make the 53-man roster, I think the team will need to keep 4 backs, and I have him ahead of Jerome Ford if they do. Despite an unimpressive career stat sheet, McNichols could end up on another NFL roster if the Commanders don’t have him on the Week 1 roster. Hopefully, he would land on the Washington practice squad instead. He’s a valuable back who has had 2 solid seasons in a Commanders uniform.
UPDATE: While injury has limited McNichols’ 2026 availability, the rest has played out pretty much as projected, with the team opening the season with Bill, Kaytron & Rachaad on the 53-man roster. Of course, Kaytron got nicked off of the waiver wire, which made McNichols more valuable when he was healthy enough to play. In his sole appearance this season, he ran for 13 yards on 5 carries.
No. 8 CB Amik Robertson (signed, 2 years)
I just haven’t been able to work up any enthusiasm for Robertson. His contract indicates that the Commanders aren’t fully sold on him either, as it is basically a 1-year, $7.5m deal with a team option for a second year at about the same price. Undersized and his best season now 3 years past, this feels like a roster band aid that isn’t completely adequate and not sticky enough for long-term duty.
UPDATE: Bill-in-Bangkok swings…and MISSES THE BALL ENTIRELY!! I couldn’t have been much more wrong about Robertson, who may be the Commanders player who is performing closest to a Pro Bowl season through 6 weeks. He has been, at times, the only player in the defensive secondary who looked fully competent for an entire game. If things continue on the current path (including coaching staff), then Robertson will certainly be back in ‘27 vying for a starting position for the 2nd year in a row. He has been the most pleasant of surprises to me, though apparently, his play was not a surprise to the front office or coaching staff. I’m thrilled to have been wrong here.
No. 9 OL Andrew Wylie (re-signed, 2 years)
When he was the starting right tackle, I felt the team could do better. As a back up guard/tackle earning $3.75m per year, I’m fine with Wylie. It feels like the right role and pay for the 8-year veteran.
UPDATE: Yep. We know who Wylie is and isn’t at this point.
No. 10 EDGE Charles Omenihu (signed, 1 year)
At 6’6”, 275 pounds, Omenihu offers the versatility to line up anywhere from 3-tech to 9-tech and play effectively. At $4m for one season, the price is right. He should provide a lot of what Daronte Jones will be looking for in 2026. If he provides it, he can be brought back in ‘27; if not, it’s a low-cost/low-risk signing. Here’s Omenihu talking about his role in the new Commanders defense:
This is my eighth year in the league so I can quickly understand somebody having a plan and somebody not having a plan. When you do have a plan, that breeds success. So just having a plan in the run game and how it will be a lot of individual one-on-one blocks. How it will be a lot of just, I wouldn’t want to say easy because nothing in the NFL is easy, but where you’re not going to be in a position where you could be not in an advantage. And then in the pass game, rushing inside. I can’t wait, honestly.
UPDATE: I overestimated Omenihu’s on-field impact through the first 6 games. While Daronte Jones has indeed deployed Charles Omenihu across multiple alignments—including inside pass-rushing snaps and setting edges—injuries and low snap volume have severely capped his production. After suffering groin and ankle injuries against Indianapolis in Week 4, Omenihu missed Weeks 5 and 6, leaving him with just 1 tackle, 0 sacks, and 6 pressures over 110 total defensive snaps. Ultimately, my financial assessment proved better than my estimate of on-field impact: at $4 million on a 1-year flier, Washington took virtually no long-term financial hit for an experiment that has yielded little return prior to the bye. Hopefully, he’ll be more impactful when he returns, healthy, as soon as this Sunday night.
No. 11 EDGE Deatrich Wise (re-signed, 1 year)
Wise was one of the many older veteran free agents signed to a low-cost contract last season, and, while he only managed to stay healthy for 2 games, he looked good when he was on the field. He’s back on a vet-minimum contract for ‘26 and is in a dense position group. I’m not sure that the numbers allow him to make it to the 53-man roster to open the season, but, if not, he could well be there as an injury replacement in November or December. This is a good re-signing.
UPDATE: Wise, as you probably know, missed the first 4 games of the season as he continued to rehab from last year’s injury. He played against the Niners and Giants, collecting 4 tackles in 68 defensive snaps. In his most recent Stats & Snaps article, MattinBrisVegas wrote: “Deatrich Wise made 3 tackles, 2 of which were run stops. His 18.2% run stop rate is an elite figure for an iDL” so he seems to be doing pretty well.
No. 12 Tim Settle (signed, 3 years)
Like most Washington fans, I am very pleased to see the Penguin return to the team that drafted him. In his 4 years away, he has developed and undergone ‘seasoning’. He is a stronger, better player than he was when he left. I don’t expect him to have an All-Pro season, but I expect him to do a lot of dirty work in the middle of the Commanders defense that will help fuel a turnaround under new coordinator Daronte Jones.
UPDATE: My comments seem to have been accurate regarding both his role and realistic ceiling. While not performing at an All-Pro caliber, Settle has executed the interior “dirty work” effectively as a rotational anchor behind Daron Payne and Javon Kinlaw, logging 147 defensive snaps (roughly 37% snap share) across the first 6 games. That seasoning away from Washington shows in his discipline and awareness; he has contributed 9 combined tackles, a half-sack, a pass deflection, and 2 key fumble recoveries. His presence has provided solid, veteran depth against the run, though that “turnaround under Daronte Jones” has yet to manifest itself.
No. 13 EDGE K’Lavon Chaisson (signed, 1 year)
Chaisson had 12.5 sacks over the past two seasons; I have the feeling that he has a career year ahead of him in Washington. If he does what I expect him to do — put up around 9 sacks playing around 55% of defensive snaps — then he should be in line for a very substantial payday in 2027 free agency. Basically, I feel like Chaisson and I are both banking on him hitting his up-side potential in ‘26.
UPDATE: My projection was pretty close regarding his role and snap volume, but his sack output is pacing just slightly behind that breakout 9-sack projection. Washington has utilized Chaisson even more heavily than anticipated, starting him in all 6 games with a 69% defensive snap share (271 snaps) rather than the projected 55%. In return, Chaisson has produced 2.5 sacks, 3 tackles for loss, 7 quarterback hits, and 2 forced fumbles. While that puts him on a 17-game pace for roughly 7 sacks rather than 9, his ability to force turnovers in consecutive weeks and establish himself as a primary edge starter has kept him firmly on track for that substantial 2027 payday. I’d say he’s been a better run defender than most people (well, me at least) expected when he was signed, which has really helped his snap count. I think he’s played very well so far, and I hope for at least as much, and maybe more, after the bye.
No. 14 EDGE Odafe Oweh (signed, 4 years)
At 4 years, $96m, the signing of Odafeh Oweh was Adam Peters’ biggest swing of the ‘26 offseason. The Commanders GM is banking on Oweh to be the guy he was in Baltimore in ‘24 and the final 12 games of the 2025 season, which Oweh spent with the Chargers. In those two stints, he produced 17.5 sacks in 29 games — but he had 5 games with the Ravens to open the ‘25 season in which he managed zero sacks. The clear belief is that Oweh will be able to produce double-digit sacks in the Daronte Jones pressure-based defense. I’m trusting Adam Peters and the Washington coaching staff to have assessed him correctly. If so, he will be a multi-year cornerstone of the Commanders defense.
UPDATE: Oweh’s overall impact has been somewhat uneven. Serving as the defense’s primary edge anchor, Oweh has started all 6 games and logged 255 snaps, recording 14 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, a forced fumble, and 3 sacks. That 3-sack total (while playing through an early calf injury) puts him on a 17-game pace for roughly 8.5 sacks, trailing a bit behind the double-digit threshold I projected. While he has generated 15 total pressures and delivered some clutch splash plays, his down-to-down consistency has mirrored the streakiness noted from his Baltimore days rather than providing an unbroken, dominant presence. The coaches have used him as the centerpiece edge rusher Washington envisioned when signing him, though the individual and team results have fallen short of expectations.
No. 15 RB Rachaad White (signed, 1 year)
I’m actually pretty excited to see White in a Commanders uniform. With 2,500 rushing yards, 1,400 receiving yards & 25 touchdowns in his first 4 seasons, he’s proving to be good for about 1,000 yards & 6 TDs per year. This year’s 3-headed monster of Rachaad, Bill & Fatman will be young (27, 25, 23) and, I believe, as talented as any RB group that Washington has fielded in recent years.
UPDATE: At 4 yards per carry, 83 receiving yards and 2 total touchdowns, White is tracking for only about 650 yards from scrimmage this season, though the 6-TD projection looks reasonable at this point. White has not looked explosive and the running back group as a whole, which I described as “as talented as any RB group that Washington has fielded in recent years” has been nothing of the sort.
No. 16 DL Shy Tuttle (re-signed, 1 year)
Tuttle is a 300-pound interior defensive lineman who has been in the NFL for 7 years. He was claimed by Washington off of waivers in December when he was released from the Titans after recovering from a multi-game concussion, and he played for the Commanders in Weeks 17 & 18. While Tuttle may not be a familiar name to many Commanders fans, he has played over 3,000 career defensive snaps and I think he actually has a chance to win a roster spot in camp as a rotational iDL. From 2019 to 2024, he played around 45% of defensive snaps and about 15% of special teams snaps for the Saints and Panthers. Before last year’s concussion, he’d missed only 2 games in the prior 4 seasons. He may be ‘on the bubble’, but look for Tuttle to compete in training camp. If he doesn’t make the 53-man roster, there’s a chance he gets signed by another NFL team that needs a big body in the middle of the defense.
UPDATE: Through the first 6 games, Tuttle has filled the exact rotational space envisioned behind Payne, Kinlaw, and Settle, logging 134 defensive snaps (a 34% snap share). While primarily tasked with eating up space against the run, Tuttle has delivered noticeable situational impact, tallying 7 combined tackles, 1 tackle for loss, a sack against San Francisco in Week 6, and a critical overtime fumble recovery against the Giants in Week 5.
No. 15 RB Jerome Ford (signed, 1 year)
Honestly, I don’t see how Ford makes the 53-man roster. I have Bill, Fatman and Rachaad White as roster locks. If the Commanders keep a 4th RB, I think McNichols will be that guy. Ford appears destined for a spot on the practice squad and, perhaps, a late-season injury replacement role.
UPDATE: No surprise; Ford spent time on the Vikings practice squad and is now on the Cardinals practice squad.
No. 18 S Nick Cross (signed, 2 years)
At $6.5m per season, Cross is only the 30th-highest paid safety in the NFL, but he is #1 on the Commanders roster (Will Harris is #2 at $4m per year). It’s clear that the Commanders see him as the top guy in the safety room, and he should play a very significant role in the defense. A local player from Bowie, Maryland, Cross should serve as the aggressive, “tone-setting” box safety, focused on impacting the run and blitzing from the secondary. Meanwhile, Harris will usually play as the free safety, leveraging his ability to cover tight ends and provide flexibility between safety and nickel spots. This pairing fits into DC Daronte Jones’ expected philosophy of employing 3-safety looks and using multiple fronts to create pre- and post-snap confusion. I expect the safety play to be much-improved this season.
UPDATE: Though injuries have limited the overall sample size, in his starts, Cross operated as the downhill, physical enforcer described—racking up 13 combined tackles, 3 tackles for loss, and playing near-every-down snaps inside the box when healthy. However, an internal injury sidelined him for 3 consecutive weeks, forcing Washington to rely on Quan Martin and Jeremy Reaves. While Cross’s presence immediately stabilized the run defense upon his Week 6 return, Washington’s broader secondary play has remained uneven rather than drastically improved, leaving my May projection on the right track conceptually, but delayed by missed time and the lack of success for Washington’s defensive unit as a whole. We cannot ignore my comments on Will Harris — in May, he looked like the starter, but was released prior to the start of the season and has not signed with any other team.
No. 19 LB Leo Chenal (signed, 3 years)
Two years ago, I was pretty open about the fact that my favorite free agent signing — and the player I most anticipated watching on the field — was Frankie Luvu, who struck me as a defensive spark plug who would personify the 2024 Commanders defensive philosophy. This season, my feelings about Chenal are very similar to how I felt about Luvu two years ago. With his physical, “downhill” play style, Chenal should be solid against the run while adding to Daronte Jones’ varied and exotic blitz packages since the linebacker is capable of lining up inside, on the edge, or even dropping into effective coverage against elite tight ends. The unit, featuring Chenal, Luvu & Styles, backed up by Magee, Medrano, and possibly Kaho, should be the best linebacking corps Washington has fielded since, at least, the pre-Gruden era. Analysts who expect the Commanders defense to rank in the bottom half of the league are too tied to what happened under Joe Whitt, and they aren’t paying attention to what Adam Peters has done to the roster in free agency and with the selection of Sonny Styles in the draft.
UPDATE: We all know about the severe injury that ended Chenal’s season, and possibly his career. Prior to the injury, Chenal was NOT really close to being the player I expected. He played only 84 defensive snaps this season, with 45 of them coming in Week 2 vs the Cowboys. His downhill style was on display in that game as he tallied 12 tackles, but he was unable to generate any pressures or sacks in his 6 blitzes in that game.
Here’s a statement that has not stood up well to the test of 6 regular season games: “Analysts who expect the Commanders defense to rank in the bottom half of the league are too tied to what happened under Joe Whitt, and they aren’t paying attention to what Adam Peters has done to the roster in free agency and with the selection of Sonny Styles in the draft”
No. 20 CB Ahkello Witherspoon (signed, 1 year)
As with the CB signing of Amik Robertson, this one leaves me feeling underwhelmed. The only thing that comforts me about the signing of this 31-year-old cornerback is that he is on a vet-minimum contract, which tells me that the front office doesn’t see him as “the answer” to what has ailed the Commanders secondary. Absent some sort of trade between now and September, I expect Witherspoon to make the 53-man roster, but that is more a reflection of the weakness at the position group than any endorsement of the player. It feels as if the cornerback group will be the weakest and thinnest part of the roster in 2026, and — along with wide receiver — will be the priority for upgrading in the 2027 offseason. For now, I’ll be rooting for Witherspoon and his fellow CBs to play much better than I expect them to.
UPDATE: I’ll stand by my statement that the front office didn’t see Witherspoon as “the answer”. While I projected him to make the 53-man roster back in May, his fate was sealed by the subsequent signing of Rasul Douglas. I’m gonna mark this one up as a ‘win’ for my accuracy based on my final, somewhat snarky, remark about Witherspoon, of whom I had no real expectations at all other than to show up in uniform.
No. 21 EDGE Drake Jackson (re-signed, 1 year)
With Oweh, Armstrong, Chaisson and Josephs appearing to be roster locks, I see Drake Jackson in a dogfight with players like Javonte Jean-Baptiste for a spot on the roster. I’m not really sure what to think of Jackson. I never watched him play when he was with the 49ers, and last season, with the Commanders, he played 61 snaps in the final 3 games, tallying 3 tackles. He’s probably the biggest mystery on the roster in my mind. I have him “on the bubble”, with my best guess being that he ends up on the practice squad and a possible late-season injury replacement.
UPDATE: Jackson was released with an injury settlement and ended up on Atlanta’s practice squad. Javonte Jean-Baptiste made the Commanders roster.
No. 22 TE Chigoziem Okonkwo (signed, 3 years)
Okonkwo was the guy I wanted the Commanders to sign at the tight end position this year. I see him as an exciting player who was under-utilized with the Titans. I think he’ll thrive in Washington, probably exceeding his career-best single season marks of 56 catches, 560 yards, and 2 TDs. Okonkwo has some wide receiver skills, allowing him to create mismatches against linebackers and safeties. His versatility to line up inline, in the slot, or as an H-back will offer new offensive coordinator David Blough significant flexibility to run multiple-tight end sets alongside Ben Sinnott and John Bates, which may help Sinnott finally start to make his mark on the stat sheets. I love the fact that Chig is on a 3-year contract; the Commanders should have stability at the position at least through 2027, when John Bates and Sinnott reach the end of their current contracts.
UPDATE: Chig is an example of why you don’t draw definitive conclusions about an NFL player in a 6-game sample. Injured and out in Weeks 2 & 3, Okonkwo has played in 4 games this season. In the first two, he had 4 catches for 21 yards and fans were asking what was going on. In his two most recent games, Chig had 11 catches on 13 targets for 129 yards, with 71 yards after the catch for the season. The production in these latter two games would make him a 1,000-yard pass catcher. His production in the 4 healthy games, projected over a 15-game season ,would put him right at the 560-yard mark I projected in May. Especially with Terry McLaurin now out for the season, I expect to see Okonkwo’s arrow pointing up for the balance of the season, and I remain bullish about his outlook over the course of his 3-year contract.
No. 23 K Jake Moody (re-signed, 1 year)
I am never as down on the current Washington kicker (whoever it happens to be at any given time) as the rest of the fan base — except for Chris Blewitt; I was opposed to the release of Dustin Hopkins when it happened and really hated the Blewitt signing. Washington fans seem to feel that anything less than 100% accuracy from a field goal kicker is unacceptable. For the most part, Washington has had a parade of league-average kickers, with each, in his turn, falling out of favor with fans with a couple of missed kicks. Moody has been…inconsistent in his career, but he had a very good run with the Commanders in his 6 games last year, hitting 10 of 11 field goals, including two over 50 yards. Oddly, his only misses of the season were a 24-yarder off the upright and an extra point — both misses came in wins over divisional opponents. I expect Moody to open the season as Washington’s kicker in Week 1, and I expect fans to howl for him to be replaced if he misses a kick at any point in the season. I’ll just remind everyone that Dustin Hopkins made 60 of 66 field goal attempts (~91%) in 2021, ‘22, and ‘23 after being cut by Ron Rivera in the middle of the season when he was 12-14 on field goals. Usually, the best approach with kickers is to stick with them unless they really suck or start losing games.
UPDATE: Moody, of course, was released after losing a training camp battle with Drew Stevens, who was signed after my article was published. He ended up on the Ravens practice squad. Stevens, aside from issues with extra points, has been a good kicker in his first 6 NFL games.
No. 24 DL DJ Davidson (signed, 1 year)
At 320 pounds, Davidson spent his first 4 seasons with the Giants, playing around 28% of defensive snaps. In 806 snaps over 47 games, he recorded 49 tackles, 2.5 sacks, three quarterback hits and three passes defensed. He looks like a decent backup signed to a vet-minimum contract. I expect he’ll be ‘on the bubble’ and in competition with Shy Tuttle to make the 53-man roster to open the season. Davidson likely ends up on the practice squad, and possibly a late-season injury replacement.
UPDATE: Davidson announced his retirement from the NFL during training camp, in early August
No. 25 LG Chris Paul (re-signed, 1 year)
I was a voice in the wilderness back in February when I suggested that Chris Paul’s market value was between $3m and $5m per year, and said that he wasn’t likely to be in demand based on his one solid season starting at LG for the 5-12 Commanders. While I didn’t expect him to have a strong market — and he didn’t — I am a fan of the player because he was a late-round pick who spent 3 years working to improve and get on the field before finally breaking through in 2025. I am happy to have him back. I don’t know whether he’ll hold on to his starting spot at LG or whether Brandon Coleman will beat him out, but Paul is known to bring his lunchpail to work every day, so I won’t bet against him. Whether starter or backup, I see Paul as a roster lock in 2026, a year in which he’ll want to prove that he’s worth a lot more money to any NFL team that needs a starting offensive guard.
UPDATE: I don’t see anything in my May comments that I would walk back now or that seem off-the-mark. Paul would probably have ended up as the backup to Coleman at LG if Laremy Tunsil hadn’t been injured. The Tunsil injury has heavily weakened the left side of the offensive line, with Paul looking like what he is — a borderline starter/backup at left guard.
No. 26 CB Darius Rush (signed, 1 year)
39 career defensive snaps — all from the 2023 season — and a vet minimum contract with no signing bonus and no guarantees. If anyone ever looked like a “camp body”, it’s Darius Rush.
UPDATE: Rush surprised me by landing, initially, on Washington’s practice squad. He didn’t stay long. He was cut on Sept 15th and ended up on the Steelers practice squad.
No. 27 WR Ja’Corey Brooks (signed, 1 year)
Brooks is a 24-year-old big bodied (6’3”, 195 lbs) receiver that the Commanders signed as an undrafted rookie last year. Let me quote froma recent Mason-Brennan Awards preview article:
Brooks was a Cinderella story of the 2025 pre-season. After signing with the Commanders as an UDFA, Brooks had a strong training camp and led the team in receptions through three pre-season games. That earned him a place on the practice squad. He was elevated for the Week 6 game against Chicago, but was not targeted in 6 offensive snaps. He suffered a season-ending injury in November, but was reportedly healthy when he signed his contract for 2026.
Brooks went undrafted, after a stellar senior season at Louisville, because he lacks the speed and crisp route running to separate consistently, leading to high numbers of contested targets. To his credit, he excels at hauling them in.
On a team with probably 4 roster locks in the WR corps that is notably short of big receivers, Brooks would seem to have a chance of sticking as the last guy on the depth chart if he again shows promise in the preseason — the competition isn’t all that impressive. I think his worst-case outcome is another season on the practice squad, and possibly seeing some regular season snaps as a practice squad elevation or a late-season injury replacement.
UPDATE: Man, I wasted a lot of pixels on a guy that the Commanders cut before training camp even began! There must be something we don’t know about him because Brooks was not signed by any other team, and he seems to offer enough to warrant a practice squad spot somewhere in the NFL.
