To find success in the 2024 NFL season, the Washington Commanders will need certain players to step up. And head coach Dan Quinn will need to navigate a tough assignment. But like every other NFL team, the Commanders have two players on the roster bubble who must shine in preseason to make the team.
On the shortlist are wide receiver Dyami Brown and defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis. Brown is a fourth-year player who has never caught more than 12 passes in a season. It looks like this may be his last chance to shine in Washington.
As for Mathis, he's a former second-round pick who has played in oly 11 games over two seasons.
Commanders WR Dyami Brown fighting to make team
If he's going to be a pass-catcher in the NFL, Brown has to move his game up a notch in 2024. If not, he may have to kick around on special teams, and probably have to find a new organization as well.
With only one NFL receiving standout on the roster in Terry McLaurin, the opportunity is there for Brown. No. 2 receiver Jahan Dotson hasn't shown much on a consistent basis, and rookie Luke McCaffrey is currently in the No. 3 slot. At 6-foot and 195 pounds, Brown could figure into the mix. But it seems like a longshot.
Perhaps one thing working in his favor is a new quarterback. Rookie Jayden Daniels will likely be the Week 1 starter for the Commanders, and that gives Brown a sliver of hope. Who knows if he'll form some kind of unexpected connection with Daniels? It's happened before the in the NFL where a quarterback brings a receiver into revelance with generous targets.
Another thing that gives Brown a chance to make the team is good words from a new head coach. Dan Quinn told commanders.com that Brown has caught his eye.
“Yes, and Dyami is somebody that has really jumped at me in some specific areas,” Quinn said. “One of those would be when a quarterback gets outside the pocket. I felt the speed to go because when that happens, a whole second play begins. But where a defense kind of turns into a man-to-man situation, when the quarterback gets outside. (The DB is) trying to guard you man-to-man to stay with you. And so seeing (Brown’s) acceleration and ability to run in those spots was good. Through the spring and even here through training camp, some of the deep ball work has been good. He's got the ability to get on top of somebody. So, those would be the two things that jumped out to me.”
Another thing helping Brown is potential in the deep passing game. Daniels has the above-average ability to get the ball down the field, so maybe Brown turns into a every-third-game home run threat. If he sticks, that will be what saved him.
Now for the other stuff. Brown is in the final year of his rookie contract, which makes it easier for the Commanders to move on without him. Plus, Washington made a ton of receiver moves in the offseason. They let Curtis Samuel go, but added veterans Damiere Byrd and Olamide Zaccheaus. Also, they spent a third-round pick on McCaffrey.
So there's a muddle of competition for Brown to fight through in order to get a roster spot.
Is there room for Phidarian Mathis?
There’s not much that could light a fire under an NFL player than to have his organization spend a high draft pick on the position he plays. That’s the case for Mathis as the Commanders picked Johnny Newton in the second round just two years after throwing a lasso around Mathis at the same point in the draft.
Probably the biggest problem for the 6-4, 312-pound Mathis is his lack of production during those two seasons. It’s not much of a head start if a player can’t get onto the field enough to collect more than a paltry eight tackles. A knee injury in his NFL debut basically erased his rookie season.
And it doesn’t help Mathis that he didn’t shine in the Ron Rivera era. There are no ties for the Commanders’ current coaching staff to Mathis, so he’ll have to make an impression in a few short weeks. He certainly is trying hard, including a workaround during the global IT outage that allowed him to get to training camp on time.
Quinn found nice things to say about Mathis regarding the travel efforts, according to J.P. Finlay of NBC4Sports.
“I’ve really been impressed by Phil,” Quinn said Thursday. “He is just somebody that’s not going to miss this opportunity. I’m sure you guys saw some of the flight stuff. He was going to have a hard time getting in on time, and he wasn’t having it.”
Per Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post, Mathis said he likes the new coaching staff and believes he will get a fair look.
“I just really feel like this is what a lot of guys needed, especially myself,” he said. “Just a new coaching staff that really just pushes us, man. I think they bring it all out of us. They make it exciting to be here every day. You can tell there’s a new standard around here.”
Mathis will likely be a depth piece if he makes the roster. Ahead of him are Pro Bowl types Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne.
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