Washington

Commanders

Whether Croskey-Merritt can participate in the Commanders’ three-day mandatory minicamp, from June 16-18, is unknown. That said, Standig believes RB coach Anthony Lynn’s “positivity is notable.” Lynn thinks the team can take Croskey-Merritt’s game “to another level and get him potentially in the lead role.” To do this, Croskey-Merritt must take on more responsibility in the passing game this summer. Lynn adds that the young back’s “hands are very good, his movement skills are very good, and there’s no reason why he couldn’t win routes.” The staff is happy with its new-look backfield, but Standing writes that RBs Rachaad White, Jeremy McNichols and Jerome Ford “are not high-volume playmaking threats,” like “Bill” is, and rookie RB Allen is still getting up to speed. Once Croskey-Merritt arrives, he must prove that he can meaningfully contribute as a receiver and as a pass protector. Doing so would unlock a fantasy-friendly role.

Okonkwo, who in March signed a three-year deal worth up to $30 million, has been an offensive highlight for Washington under first-year OC David Blough. “He has rare speed and versatility, and his knack for collecting yards after the catch only adds to his appeal,” Jhabvala said, adding that the Commanders could “use a heavy dose of multiple tight end sets” under Blough this season. While last year in Tennessee was a down season for Okonkwo — he ranked 30th among tight ends in yards per route run — he has proven to be efficient in the past. Over four seasons with the Titans he was targeted on 19 percent of his pass routes. Okonkwo could be a 12-team fantasy option in 2026 if Jayden Daniels stays healthy.

Unlike in recent seasons, McLaurin won’t line up strictly on the left boundary in Washington OC David Blough’s system, Jhabvala said. “I think the multitude of formations and route combinations is going to give all of us flexibility to move around the formation, keep the defense on their toes and have a lot of routes that may look similar at the stem but different at the top,” McLaurin said. “Just having those types of variations in your route tree is just an unbelievable weapon to have as a receiver.” Entering his eighth NFL season and coming off a disappointing 2025 campaign in which he had 38 receptions over ten games, McLaurin will look to bounce back as Washington’s clear-cut No. 1 wideout this season. Before 2025, he had six straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons and scored a career high 13 touchdowns in 2024 during Jayden Daniels’ rookie year.

This was Keim’s observation during a practice that was opened to the media, but newly minted offensive coordinator David Blough has already gone oh record saying the team plans to play more from under center and run more play action in 2026. This will make for a major adjustment for Jayden Daniels, who has played 94 percent of his offensive snaps from the shotgun since 2024, per TruMedia. Blough also said the team plans to run no-huddle about 20 percent of the time, which would be a steep drop off from the 61 percent no-huddle rate the team saw under Kliff Kingsbury. This will be an offense to monitor as training camp reports start popping up this summer and we get a better sense of how the Commanders plan to deploy their backfield and utilize their weapons in the passing game. The decision to move under center could also have an impact on Daniels’ rushing volume, which would have a significant impact on his fantasy value, where he currently profiles as a strong top-12 option.

The soon-to-be 33-year-old made six starts for the Commanders a season ago after starting 10 games across 17 appearances for the Falcons in 2024. The veteran big man retired from the NFL in 2022 and remained that way through the 2023 season before playing the previous two seasons. While nothing is imminent, Goldman could help a Giants team with seven new bodies in the defensive line ranks.

He also throws out the Falcons and Rams as “interesting landing spots.” It sounds like a potential return to New England is being tethered to the potential of an A.J. Brown trade, and with that feeling inevitable at this point, Diggs would then move on to the next part of his list if he wasn’t able to return to New England. Diggs has had a very quiet free agency to this point.

Sure, it’s not like Jaylin Lane or Luke McCaffrey did much in this offense last year, and Deebo Samuel remains an unsigned free agent as we blurb this. Chig Okonkwo probably profiles as the second option after Terry McLaurin at this point, but Williams garnering a real role wouldn’t be surprising in light of how the depth chart currently looks.

Styles will get a fully guaranteed $37.2 million on his rookie deal. The rookie linebacker is expected to immediately fill the hole left by Bobby Wagner, who remains a free agent after spending the last two seasons with the Commanders. Styles, 21, totaled 182 tackles in his final two seasons at Ohio State after making the switch from safety to linebacker, and is one of the most physically gifted rookies of the 2026 draft class. He’ll look to help the Commanders turn around a defense that ranked 27th in points allowed and last in total yards allowed last season.

Heinicke most recently spent time on the Chargers’ roster, but was released in August 2025. He logged 29 starts in his career, 24 of which occurred during his time with the Commanders from 2020-22. Over the course of his career, Heinicke threw for 6,663 yards, 39 touchdowns and 28 interceptions, and rushed for 608 yards and three touchdowns. He entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Vikings, and spent time with the Patriots, Texans, Panthers and Falcons as well.

Hilton (6’0”/188) is a former four-star recruit who dealt with numerous injuries while at LSU and never amounted to more than a lightly-used backup. As a freshman in 2021, Hilton suffered a torn meniscus in both his knees. He missed most of 2022 due to a torn labrum and appeared in only six games in 2024 due to an ankle injury. Hilton played primarily on the outside during his time with the Tigers, but never ran more than 149 routes in a season. For his career, he ran 100-plus routes just twice in five seasons. He boasts a 4.41 40-yard dash and made a handful of long touchdown catches in his career, but Hilton needs to refine his route running at the next level and comes up short more often than not on contested targets. With a career receiving line of 41-779-6 in 38 games, Hilton will need to impress on special teams if he hopes to earn a roster spot or earn an extended look on the practice squad.