Washington Football Team: Figuring out the wide receiver room

For once the Washington Football Team has a legitimately stacked wide receiver room, so who makes the cut for the 2021 roster?

To put it nicely, the Washington Football Team has not had the best wide receiver groups over the recent years. Washington has had some stars in the 2000s at the position. They have been few and far-in-between, though. More importantly, they rarely have a loaded wide receiver room.

Santana Moss was a star in Washington but never had a consistent supporting cast. Pierre Garçon and DeSean Jackson comprised arguably the best wide receiver room for the franchise but they weren’t in their primes — even in 2016 when both players put forth 1,000-yard seasons. Outside of that, however, the wide receiver department hasn’t been a strength for Washington in a long time.

They added Terry McLaurin in the third round of the 2019 draft, though, and something finally clicked. They had a star (a superstar, even). And most importantly, they had him at the start of his career, meaning the franchise had a chance to build around him.

Year one, it was sort of McLaurin by himself. In his rookie year, McLaurin had 58 receptions to lead the team. The next leading wide receiver (fellow rookie Kelvin Harmon) had 30 receptions. His second season saw McLaurin reel in 87 passes. This time, the next leading receiver was Cam Sims with 32.

Washington saw the problem with that and made some drastic moves this offseason. The first was adding Curtis Samuel. Samuel is an absolute stud. With the Carolina Panthers last season, Samuel had 77 receptions for 851 yards and three touchdowns. He even added another 200 yards and two more touchdowns on the ground.

A legitimate threat, Samuel not only takes pressure off McLaurin, but he gives Washington another playmaker. No longer will it be “McLaurin will get his but someone random will have to step up this week to help.” Washington now knows they have two legitimate playmakers in the wide receiver room.

They didn’t stop there. Washington next added Dyami Brown in the draft. A wide receiver out of the North Carolina, Brown has everyone excited as he boasts impressive speed, good route running and solid hands. He’s a deep threat who can do more than just run straight.

Beyond that trio, there are more interesting names. Harmon has tons of potential after that solid rookie year in 2019. He was slated for a big role last season but tore his ACL before the start. Sims made some huge plays and had big games at the end of last season, including seven receptions for 104 yards in the playoff game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Then there’s Steven Sims Jr., who showed plenty of potential in 2019 but struggled a bit last year. Isaiah Wright had some bright moments last year, taking some of Sims Jr.’s time. Adam Humphries is a solid veteran who has proven himself plenty of times over the years, a quiet but strong addition for Washington this offseason.

Antonio Gandy-Golden was hyped up as a rookie last year but injuries and inconsistency stalled most of that. He still could have a massive future ahead of him, however. Meanwhile, Dax Milne was a late-round draft pick for Washington this offseason who put up massive numbers at BYU in 2020 and there’s a lot to like.

Tony Brown and DeAndre Carter round out the group. Not to be negative but they are definitely on the outside looking in when it comes to the wide receivers in Washington. Overall, though, that’s a lot of names and Washington will probably keep just six receivers — maybe seven. So who makes the cut?

Obviously, the first three are safe. McLaurin, Samuel and Brown are no-brainers. After that, Harmon is tough to read. One thing going against him is he was not a Ron Rivera pick. But he also seems like someone Rivera would like and it’s hard to argue that there was a lot of potential in his rookie year. It definitely feels like he’s safe but this could be a wildcard that surprises some people.

Cam Sims is safe too. He had a number of big games last year and it seemed like Rivera was trusting him a lot by the end of the season. He was thrust into a big role and handled it nicely. Humphries was a good addition this offseason, so it’s hard to imagine Washington signing him and then letting him go before he even takes a snap.

That means we’re probably not seeing Steven Sims Jr. or Wright. Gandy-Golden is probably safe and might get tossed on the practice squad — but could be on the roster if they decide to go seven wide receivers.

Milne will get a practice squad spot to start. Fans will probably be claiming he’s the third-best receiver on the team by Week 2 of the preseason (a time-honored tradition of Washington fans is to claim every year that late-round draft picks and undrafted players are actually the next Randy Moss, Aaron Rodgers, Champ Bailey, etc.). But it’s too crowded and he’ll need to prove himself more.

The good news is, Washington actually has talent. Every year the wide receiver room is crowded because they have a lot of guys and only a few spots, sure. This time, though, it’s a good problem. It’s not one-or-two good names and wondering who even deserves to be on the roster. It’s a bunch of talent and wondering who is going to get snubbed.

What’s even scarier is Washington has talent at other positions. Logan Thomas proved to be a very valuable asset at tight end, and there are some exciting prospects behind him. Meanwhile, Antonio Gibson looks every bit of a superstar at running back.

Ryan Fitzpatrick is going to have a fun time with this offense. And the wide receivers are ready to chip in. It just depends on who makes the final cut.