Commanders $30 million free agent addition is already turning heads at OTAs and it bodes well for Jayden Daniels and the offense
The Commanders are a couple of weeks into OTAs, which means guys are stacking reps and making plays more and more. One of Adam Peters’ top free agent signings is one of those guys making plays.
The Washington Commanders are smack dab in the middle of OTAs, which means the first steps toward figuring out the team’s identity are underway.
There are a lot of new faces this year, so it’ll certainly be a process. One said face is tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo, whom the Commanders signed during free agency. So far, Okonkwo, or “Chig”, has made an impact during the early rounds of OTAs.
“In the call, it, you know, two and a half months or three months we’ve had Chig, it’s been really exciting to kind of see him grow,” new Commanders offensive coordinator David Blough told reporters ahead of Commanders OTAs. “… We’re excited about the explosiveness that he adds to the offense. So as we go, I think we’ll definitely find what his role is in the units.”
Chig is athletic, fast, and a yards after catch demon. He’s been quoted early on saying “every time I get the ball, I’m trying to do the most” and for the entirely of his rookie contract those words consistently came to life. He’s a violent runner who becomes a man possessed in space. It’s a ton of fun to watch, and it’s usually pretty effective.
Believe it or not, over the span of his rookie contract he led the Titans in receiving yards once, was their second most productive receiver twice, and was WR3 in his “lowest” role. A big part of that was due to the situation around him. But he was consistently productive in the passing game nonetheless, and in a better offense, his ceiling is pretty high.
Chigoziem Okonkwo’s career stats
Okonkwo was drafted in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans. He signed a three-year contract worth up to $30 million with the Commanders back in March.
- Receptions: 194
- Receiving yards: 2,017
- Yards per reception: 10.4
- Receiving touchdowns: 8
“I was super excited (when) we got Chig,” Jayden Daniels told reporters after OTAs. “He plays fast [and] everything is 100% with him. He’s smart, he’s been in this league for some time, and now he gets to go out there and show his talents on a bigger stage and a bigger role in the offense. So I’m super excited to also build that rapport with him too.”
David Blough’s offense is set up for Chig Okwonko to succeed
So, a major reason why this offense is set up for him succeed actually has to do with the biggest weakness in his game: Chig’s departure from Tennessee wasn’t because of his lack of high-end ability. The Titans were willing to get out-bid on him because of his inconsistency and one-dimensional ability.
He’s not a blocking threat whatsoever. In fact, he’s regularly graded as one of the worst blocking tight ends in the league. He is a TEINO most of the time: Tight End In Name Only. And that’s fine if you have a receiving TE role in your offense that maximizes his skillset. But no defense is fooled or daunted by his presence in heavy packages. In the modern landscape of the league, with versatile blocking and receiving ability from your TE’s ad a premium to dictate terms offensively, Chig’s archetype is less valuable.
But honestly, that’s just fine for this offense. Because the Commanders already have a very good blocking tight end in John Bates. Sure, you’d love for both guys to be able to everything at a sustainable level in order to keep defenses guessing, but that’s just not how the NFL world works. Pickers can’t be choosers – you’ve gotta find what fits best and then work with that.
Regardless, that frees up Chig to do what he does best, which is help his quarterback move the ball down the field. It’ll be fun watching Blough navigate the duality of Chig and Bates.
Chig can elevate the Commanders’ passing attack in a way Zach Ertz couldn’t
Don’t get it twisted: Ertz was a good player for the Commanders and ended up as a net-positive in more ways than one.
But Okonkwo’s skill set is one Ertz didn’t have. He offers so much more athleticism and explosion than what Ertz had at that point in his career and you can bet it will help take some pressure off Terry McLaurin in the passing game.
There’s certainly a world where Okonkwo is the second target in line in this offense and that doesn’t take away from the passing attack as a whole.
It’s impossible to dislike what’s coming out about Chig, right now, and we’ll see how much of it carries over into training camp and then the regular season. Daniels and Co. will be in very good shape if it does indeed hold up.