Big-name wide receivers like Tee Higgins, Cooper Kupp, and Deebo Samuel Sr. may be on the move this offseason. The Washington Commanders have cash on hand and a genuine need for a big-play weapon to join Terry McLaurin. It seems like a natural fit for any of these players.
I have been arguing against them.
Kupp and Samuel are both reportedly on the trade block. Both are on the downside of their careers. Though they could certainly fill a void in Washington, Adam Peters would be unwise to give up much in the way of draft capital or salary cap space to get downward-trending veterans.
Higgins is a much more attractive option. He’s younger. He’s a free agent. There are only two roadblocks.
His salary demands will be enormous and the Commanders are already paying McLaurin. With other needs on the offensive line, cornerback, and edge rusher, Peters must make sure he can build his entire roster. Then there is the fact that the Cincinnati Bengals may franchise tag Higgins again to appease quarterback Joe Burrow. That would in all likelihood take him off the market.
None of that means Peters should give up on adding a receiver through free agency. It simply means he should look for better bargains. He did that extremely well last year.
Here are five pending free agents who might be better fits. I’ll caution you up front, some of these players do not have the name recognition or history of the ones mentioned above. Looking forward, that means absolutely nothing.
Let's get to it...
Free-agent wide receivers not named Tee Higgins the Commanders could pursue
Steffon Diggs and Chris Godwin
I’m putting the two biggest names together because they are in similar situations.
Both are coming off injuries that ended their 2024 seasons. Stefon Diggs played in eight games and Chris Godwin in seven. Both are older players and those injuries — Diggs a torn ACL and Godwin a dislocated ankle — raise serious concerns about their future effectiveness.
That, in turn, should drive their asking prices down. But it is impossible to judge that now.
In a best-case scenario, Godwin could be a very good possession receiver who is still capable of making big plays downfield. He torched the Washington Commanders in Week 1 and had his best game a week before suffering his ankle issue.
As for Diggs? He may have lost a half-step from his glory days but remains a big-play threat who tracks deep balls as well as anyone in the league. The Good Counsel/University of Maryland product might relish a chance to return home for a final hurrah.
Both veterans’ medical situations need to be monitored closely.
Darius Slayton
Darius Slayton has caught more than 250 passes in his career at an average of 15 yards per reception. That would normally qualify a receiver as a major downfield threat. But the burner out of Auburn has always seemed to be a disappointment to New York Giants’ fans because he never lived up to the potential he flashed as a rookie.
This is a theme I am going to return to. Look at the quarterback play and offensive scheme when assessing a “failed” receiver.
It is a dependent position. Daniel Jones was a middling quarterback, playing behind a train wreck of an offensive line. The Giants' offense could never take advantage of Slayton’s downfield potential because the signal-caller was often running for his life.
They couldn’t even take advantage of Saquon Barkley’s talent, so you know this is not entirely on the player. Slayton can still get downfield.
Plugging him into a Kliff Kingsbury offense with Jayden Daniels at the helm could unlock that potential. And, not to be discounted, Slayton is a quality off-field presence, having won the United Way of New York City’s Hometown Hero Award and being the club’s nominee for 2024 Walter Payton Man of the Year.
Elijah Moore
I can hear New York Jets and Cleveland Browns fans laughing from here.
Elijah Moore has been something of a bust since being chosen in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft. But again, I suggest you look at the quarterbacks he has played with before closing the books on the versatile performer.
In his first two seasons, Zach Wilson was his signal-caller. Over his last two years in Cleveland, Moore has lined up with seven different starting quarterbacks. How can any receiver thrive under those circumstances?
The best of those was the mercurial Jameis Winston, who started the second half of last year. Over that stretch, Moore saw his production rise from virtually non-existent to respectable, averaging five catches and almost 60 receiving yards per game over a six-contest stretch.
Moore has always scored well on separation. He gets open. The problem is he'd rarely had quarterbacks who could get the ball to him. Like Slayton, catching passes from Daniels would be a major step up.
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine is a legitimate big receiver. He is 6-foot-2 and 211 pounds. He will not blind anyone with speed, but the former Indiana Hoosier has developed into a steady producer since signing with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2020.
He has always been a physical pass catcher, very good in contested catch situations. That resulted in nine touchdowns this season.
Commanders fans should remember that. He scored two against Washington in Week 13. On the first, he sprinted past Mike Sainristil. On the second, he absorbed a big hit from Jeremy Chinn on the goal line and held on.
Like Slayton, Westbrook-Ikhine is a good guy. We know this because last month the local writers in Nashville presented him with the Eddie George PFWA Good Guy Award.
There will come a time when Peters has to stop shopping for bargains and spend some of his money on a true game-changer. Maybe that will be Higgins this year. I would prefer that he do it on a player like Josh Sweat, Milton Williams, or best of all, Myles Garrett.
None of the receivers above — even the big names like Diggs and Godwin — would cause as big a splash as Higgins, but they would improve the offense while still freeing up the cash needed to get a game-changer or two on defense.
