The Washington Commanders made several additions to the offense during the offseason, including rookie wide receiver Jaylin Lane. The fourth round draft pick is now hoping to make an impact alongside Jayden Daniels and the rest of the group, in a role that may grow over time.
Jaylin Lane made a name for himself playing out of the slot over the past couple of seasons at Virginia Tech. While his numbers might not jump off the page, his potential has a lot of fans and analysts excited, and one former Washington Commander believes he could be stepping into a budding role.
Jaylin Lane primed to take All-Pro role in 2026
The Commanders traded for Deebo Samuel in early March, marking one of their first major moves of the offseason. The franchise seemingly hit a home run with their quarterback selection, claiming Jayden Daniels with the second overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.
Daniels showed a level of poise rare for a rookie quarterback, and as he settled into his role as the franchise QB, he got better and better every week.
The Commanders far surpassed even their own expectations for the 2024 season, beating out the Detroit Lions on the road to reach the NFC Championship game. While they fell short against the Philadelphia Eagles, it did show their incredible potential if Daniels can play at that level for years to come.
Now believing they’re in the middle of a wide open Super Bowl window, the Commanders are going all in. Deebo Samuel was a part of that plan, along with the trades for veteran tackle Laremy Tunsil and cornerback Marshon Lattimore, the latter of which joined the team midseason last year.
In the draft, the Commanders addressed multiple needs including offensive tackle, drafting high-potential prospect Josh Conerly Jr. out of Oregon in the draft’s first round. But one of their selections is particularly intriguing for his potential.
In the fourth round, Washington selected Jaylin Lane out of Virginia Tech. He’d spent three years at Middle Tennessee before transferring to the Hokies, marking five years of college experience. That said, if you simply glossed over his stat sheet, you’d wonder why the Commanders were so excited about him.
Lane didn’t reach 600 receiving yards in either of his two seasons at Virginia Tech, while totaling eight touchdowns in those two years. He was somewhat limited by the quarterback performance, a struggling offensive line, and oftentimes play calling that made very little sense.
Still, Lane made the most of the opportunities he was given, and one former Commanders star is a big fan of his talent. On the Get Loud podcast on the Washington Commanders YouTube channel, former player Fred Smoot pointed towards the perfect role for the rookie receiver:
“This dude is thick for a wide receiver. I would not be shocked if everything we see Deebo Samuel doing, they’re prepping him to do the same.”
He went on to credit Jaylin Lane for the work he did in college in less than ideal circumstances.
“I love receivers that play with stinking quarterbacks, because you don’t know their apex. You don’t know how good they can actually be. Jaylin Lane, I watched his film, and I was like uh, that’s a terrible throw. Terrible throw. Like every throw I watched, was terrible.”
Lane is now expected to feature on special teams with the Commanders, but learning the same role as Deebo Samuel makes sense for a lot of reasons.
A potential replacement for Deebo Samuel a year from now
Deebo Samuel restructured his contract when he was traded from the San Francisco 49ers to the Commanders. However, the new deal didn’t add any additional years. He is still set to be a free agent at the end of the season, unless the Commanders opt to extend him beforehand.
Considering their Super Bowl window, the one-year rental makes sense. He’s expensive too, and if the team has somebody waiting in the wings for a fraction of the cost, Samuel may be looking for a new team at the end of the season.
The move is nothing against Deebo, it’s just the business. It’s also worth considering that Samuel is now 29 years old, and he’s dealt with lower body muscle injuries since college. Just how much longer he’ll be able to play at his peaks is unknown, but father time is undefeated.
Jaylin Lane may not play a major role in 2025, but he’ll be developing and learning, and the Commanders can unleash him whenever he’s ready.
