Grading the signing: Commanders rob NFL yet again by signing four-time Pro Bowl WR who is a perfect fit for Jayden Daniels
The Commanders now have an official 1-2 punch at wideout after signing four-time Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs on Wednesday.
Well, the Commanders needed to add another quality receiver in order to help Jayden Daniels and the passing attack, and they finally did that by adding four-time Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs on Wednesday.
It’s a one-year deal worth up to $12 million, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
This is a move that’s been speculated on pretty heavily over the last few weeks, especially after Brandon Aiyuk took himself out of the race with all of his antics on social media. Now the Commanders have a bona fide one-two punch with Terry McLaurin and Stefon Diggs on the roster, and this could end up being one of the bigger steals of the offseason, just like the Rasul Douglas signing.
And that’s because Stefon Diggs showed that he can still play at a high level last year. He recorded over 85 receptions for 1,013 yards, and four touchdowns over the course of the regular season. Those are solid, yet not elite, numbers. But here’s the key thing: Diggs managed to do this playing just 55% of snaps during the regular season. It was more of a rotational role than anything, and that was because he was still on the mend from an ACL tear in 2024. It takes time to come back from that, especially for a 30-plus-year-old wideout.
Stefon Diggs is a very efficient receiver who is a great complement to Terry McLaurin
Digg’s 2.42 yards per route run was one of the highest rates in the NFL last year, per Pro Football Focus. It ranked fifth out of 32 qualifying wideouts with at least 91 targets on the season and was a better mark than guys named Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, CeeDee Lamb, Nico Collins, George Pickens, and A.J. Brown.
Now, is he better than those guys? Surely not, but the point stands in the fact Diggs can still provide a lot of value at this point in his career.
So what does he bring to the table for the Commanders? Well, he can really work the underneath routes. He’s a very good route runner with great hands, and he’s also just very savvy in terms of his NFL experience and just what he’s seen over the course of his NFL career. He’s not an explosive receiver by any means, but he can really do the dirty work underneath while Terry McLaurin, Dyami Brown, and others stretch the field. He’s also a willing run blocker who’s not afraid to stick his nose in the run game.
This is a move the Commanders honestly should have made months ago. Because now, they do have to kind of rush and get him ready and prepared for the playbook. Granted, Diggs had some legal things that needed to be cleared up over the offseason and that’s probably what slowed the process down. It’s fair to take that into account.
Regardless, this is obviously a new offense in David Blough’s system. So it’s not like he’s got a head start on it or anything like that, by any means. Even if Blough’s offense has some Ben Johnson- and Kliff Kingsbury-type elements, those are systems that Diggs has never played in. And while there’s always some kind of crossover throughout all NFL playbooks, it’s hard to really pinpoint where Diggs would immediately feel comfortable off the bat.
Either way, it’s a good move and one that’s not really expensive even if it can reach up to eight figures. It’s also a move that had to be made, and the Commanders are all better for it. Now it’s just all about ramping Diggs up and making sure that he’s ready to go for Week 1.
Final Grade: A
