One of the reasons Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera felt confident about young quarterback Sam Howell in 2023 is his offensive supporting cast. The Commanders have an outstanding trio of wide receivers, and a solid stable of backs, but some questions at tight end.
Bill Barnwell of ESPN recently ranked the offensive skill players for all 32 NFL teams. That meant Barnwell ranked the wide receivers, tight ends and running backs, with a specific emphasis on each team’s top five contributors.
Who would Washington’s top five offensive skill players be? Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, Curtis Samuel, Brian Robinson Jr., Antonio Gibson and Logan Thomas are the top six. You could swap Thomas in for Gibson, but the former college wide receiver is expected to have an expanded role in new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy’s offense in 2023.
That’s a pretty impressive group, even if there are questions surrounding Thomas at age 32 and the lack of experienced depth behind him.
Barnwell ranks Washington’s offensive skill players at No. 21.
Where would Terry McLaurin rank among NFL wide receivers with even average quarterback play? His degree of difficulty seems to rise with each passing season, as he’ll jump from Carson Wentz and Taylor Heinicke last season to a 2023 room likely to be led by 2022 fifth-round pick Sam Howell. This is approaching Allen Robinson and Andre Johnson territory:
I believe McLaurin is a top-10 receiver, and he should get more help with a leap from Jahan Dotson. Last year’s first-round pick flashed early in the season before being sidelined for five weeks by a hamstring injury. When Dotson was restored into a more regular role over the final month of the season, he produced a line that would prorate over a 17-game season to 71 catches for 1,170 yards and 10 touchdowns. He averaged 2.6 yards per route run over that five-game stretch, which ranked seventh in the league. If he can even approach that sort of efficiency over a full season, the Commanders would have one of the best wideout duos in football.
High praise for McLaurin, and rightfully so. And he also sees a breakout season from Dotson, something we predicted, too.
As for Washington’s running backs:
Running back is a place for possible growth, but not with Antonio Gibson, who has grown less efficient as a runner across his three NFL campaigns. The good news is Gibson’s fumble woes faded into memory after he coughed the ball up six times in 2021. His best role is still likely as a third-down back, and it’s possible new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy installs the college wideout in the Jerick McKinnon spot in Washington’s offense. Brian Robinson will also hope to improve after a middling rookie season, although the former third-round pick has an obvious excuse after being shot in an attempted robbery just before the year began.
A middling rookie season from Robinson? Did Barnwell realize Robinson was shot twice in the leg just before the season began and returned in Week 5? Robinson looked terrific at times, especially considering Washington’s issues at quarterback and on the offensive line.
The hope is Bieniemy will give this entire unit a lift because there is talent.
While some would argue the Commanders are too low, and there’s a case for that, they need to prove it on the field.