The Washington Commanders have a direction they should go in the draft, but they’re still adding little pieces. And they took another step in that direction, adding an ex-Rams Super Bowl champion to the Terry McLaurin-led wide receiver room.
The Commanders decided to go with Van Jefferson, according to a post on X by the Washington Commanders.
Stifle the yawn, please. Jefferson is a six-year veteran who just joined his fifth NFL team after being drafted in the second round by the Rams in 2020. He has one decent season on his resume, catching 50 passes for 802 yards and six scores in 2021. That’s the year the Rams won it all.
What do the Commanders get with WR Van Jefferson?
Since that good second year, Jefferson hasn’t been able to produce very much. He had 24 catches in 2022, added 20 in 2023, and 24 again with the Steelers in 2024. Last year with the Titans, he caught 29 passes for 350 yards and one touchdown.
Those aren’t the numbers of excitement. And here’s more evidence of the ho-hum nature of this signing: ESPN slotted him as WR5 on the Commanders’ depth chart. This is a team with Luke McCaffrey as WR2 and Treylon Burks as WR3. Jefferson is even behind WR4 Dyami Brown.
That’s a mediocre receiver room, and Jefferson still doesn’t figure to see the field very often.
The Commanders didn’t get it done at the wide receiver position in free agency. They were unable to land potential targets, Alec Pierce, who re-signed with the Colts, and Romeo Doubs, who chose the Patriots.
However, the Commanders have at least addressed the issue of depth. And that's the most important thing that Jefferson adds. If the Commanders pick up a standout receiver in the draft, but need a few games from a guy off the bench, Jefferson is good enough to sprinkle into the lineup for spot starts.
But if they count on him too much, they will likely get the same results other teams have gotten in recent years.
