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While the Washington Commanders made a few critical mistakes in the draft, they also pulled off a perfect move. And as they try to make up for the miscues, here is one Commanders undrafted free agent who will make the 2025 roster.
First, let’s point out the obvious. The Commanders should have drafted an edge rusher. They passed on Donovan Ezeiruaku, and he landed in Dallas. Let’s see how bad that hurts when the teams meet this season.
Making matters worse, they haven’t signed an edge rusher as an undrafted free agent. If they had, that player would have a decent shot at making the 2025 roster. But since they didn’t, let’s look at the current list of candidates.
Commanders sign 4 offensive players and 2 on defense
The Commanders have grabbed quarterback Collin Schlee, wide receivers Ja'Corey Brooks and Jacoby Jones, offensive lineman Tim McKay, and safeties Robert McDaniel and Trey Rucker.
Head coach Dan Quinn will indeed have his work cut out for him on the defensive side of the ball. The Commanders haven’t done enough to improve the areas of weakness. But the player who stands the most chance of sticking as an undrafted free agent is Ja’Corey Brooks.
The 6-foot-2, 184-pounder picked up a rating of 5.69 from nfl.com. A product of Louisville, Brooks fed on the passes of Tyler Shough, who got drafted in the second round by the New Orleans Saints.
Here’s the breakdown on Brooks, according to nfl.com.
“Brooks posted a career year at Louisville in 2024 after three seasons at Alabama,” Lance Zierlein wrote. “He has good size and average speed. He’s a decent athlete with the length and ball skills to have success downfield. He’s not going to outrun many NFL corners on a sprint, and he’s too tight-hipped to uncover with his route-running, which is one reason for so many contested catches. The touchdown production and yards per catch are favorable, but Brooks might have to fight for a back-end spot on a roster.”
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However, there’s good news about more-than-normal contested catches. Brooks wins most of those battles, according to commanderswire.com.
“Ja'Corey excels as a contested catcher and was a matchup nightmare with the ball in the air in 2024 with a 69.6% contested catch rate,” Josh Taylor wrote. “Even though he only ran a 4.65 40-yard dash, Brooks is a legit deep threat on the field due to his ability to swipe press coverage. And (he) knows how to stack corners and get separation late in routes with the ball coming his way. He also has a great catch radius to use his body control and pluck the ball out of the air.”
Washington’s receiver room looks better in 2025 than it did last year. Terry McLaurin remains at the top with Deebo Samuel in the No. 2 spot. Noan Brown, Michael Gallup, Luke McCaffrey, and rookie Jaylin Lane are also in the mix. K.J. Osborn may also play a role.
After McLaurin and Samuel, there are no big dogs. So Brooks could find a way to stick.
However, he didn’t get a great review from nytimes.com.
“A tall, lean target, Brooks eats up ground quickly to swipe press, stack corners, and use vertical pacing to track the ball and create late separation,” Dane Brugler wrote. “He does a nice job battling for jump-ball positioning, but also fights the ball at times. He needs to improve his finishing focus to earn the trust of his coaches at the next level. Overall, Brooks’ lack of short-area agility and pacing allows man coverage to stay attached to him on short and intermediate routes, but his play strength, tracking skills, and catch radius could make him a potential WR4/5.”
And that seems realistic for Brooks. He’s unlikely to become a starter, but could be good enough to give Gallup and McCaffrey a run for their money. He may only need to beat out McCaffrey to win a roster spot.
McCaffrey’s first NFL season was forgettable as he totaled only 18 catches for 168 yards and no touchdowns. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Commanders part ways with the third-round pick if Brooks passes him on the depth chart. They have similar size, and Brooks has the deep ability McCaffrey doesn’t possess.
