The NFL Draft is right around the corner, and the Washington Commanders, along with the rest of the league, are setting their sights on the next crop of collegiate players that are expected to make an impact.
Much of the focus has been surrounding free agency and trades thus far into the NFL offseason, and the Commanders have been active on both fronts. However, their splash moves have come via trade, acquiring wide receiver Deebo Samuel and offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil.
With the draft quickly approaching, not one team with a first-round pick has decided to trade up or down - a rarity this close to the start of the draft. However, trades can still be made even during the draft, and when examining each team's potential trade bait piece FOX Sports' Ralph Vacchiano elected wide receiver Noah Brown for Washington.
"He's a really good veteran receiver to have on the roster, and he feels like a lock for 30 catches and 450-plus yards every year. But he's expendable now that the Commanders traded for Deebo Samuel. Plus, clearing him out makes room for Luke McCaffrey, last year's third-rounder, to emerge as the No. 3 receiver," wrote Vacchiano.
"The Commanders also signed Michael Gallup, so they're pretty loaded at this position. Plenty of teams would love a reliable veteran to fill their No. 3 role, just like the Commanders were when they acquired him from Houston last August."
Brown was perhaps on pass to have the best season of his career with the Commanders last season before going down with a season-ending kidney injury in Week 13, limiting him to just nine games. Brown was a key figure in one of the Commanders' wins through then, securing the game-winning, walk-off Hail Mary from Jayden Daniels to beat the Chicago Bears.
The team decided to take another chance on Brown this offseason following his rehab from the kidney injury he suffered, re-signing him to a one-year, $3.25 million contract. While it seems as though Brown will remain in Washington, Vacchiano is correct in stating that the wide receiver room is a bit crowded and some of them could be expendable as trade pieces if they so choose.
McCaffrey is still a bit unpolished entering his sophomore season while Gallup is coming off a season where he didn't play after retiring. While on the outside the decision to use Brown in a trade might seem like a great idea, I highly doubt that the Commanders would trade away a guy that is still productive without the question marks that others at the same position have.
