One of the biggest questions looming over the Washington Commanders, and it’s been this way all offseason, is who will step up behind Terry McLaurin in the passing attack.

A lot of people keep pegging the wide receiver room as lackluster and one that does not offer an answer to the above question. And while yes, it is a below-average group as a collective whole, it’s a bit misleading for people just to automatically apply the responsibility of being the second option in the passing attack strictly to the Commanders receiver room.

And that’s because it’s likely not going to be a receiver that’s the number 2 option in this passing attack: it’s most likely going to be tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo.

Okonkwo is a tight end that’s very athletic, very fast, and it’s just not your traditional Y tight end that aligns inline and blocks and then goes out for passes whenever the time calls for it. He is a playmaker who, with his speed and athleticism, can make plays down the field and just do other things that more traditional tight ends cannot do.

And Dan Quinn knows that. It’s a big reason why he wanted the Commanders to sign Okonkwo to the three-year, $30 million deal he received over the offseason.

“To see him in a system as a tight end from play action and down the field throws, we thought that would be a good mesh for him,” Quinn told reporters after Day 2 of training camp. “It was also what he was looking for too. So when we showed clips from there and showed clips of what we were going to do, we intercut them to paint a clear picture.”

Quinn has a clear vision for Okonkwo’s role in this offense

Quinn is ready to unleash Okonkwo upon the NFL, and in offensive coordinator David Blough’s system, he should be a pretty featured asset. Quinn even specified when asked what exactly they’re eyeing from Okonkwo in this offense.

“The long play-action passing,” said Quinn. “You know, over routes, pylon routes, things that were down the field, and even some crossing routes that were catch and run to use some of his speed. We just wanted to highlight, this is what we think you can do.”

The downfield passing attack is something that has not existed among Commanders tight ends over the last four seasons. Per Pro Football Focus, every Commanders tight end on the roster since 2022, before Okonkwo arrived, recorded a combined eight receptions of passes that went 20-plus air yards downfield on 27 targets for 195 yards. Okonkwo himself since 2022 has recorded seven receptions of 20-plus air yards downfield on 25 targets for 195 yards and two touchdowns. That kind of individual production is clearly an upgrade over what Washington has seen over the last few years.

And while yes, you can sit here and say Kliff Kingsbury ran an offense the last two years that ignored tight ends, and Ben Sinnott’s recent comments back that up, it’s still pretty obvious that the Commanders just haven’t had this kind of player on their roster.

Terry McLaurin sees a matchup nightmare forming

McLaurin, the Commanders’ leading receiver and arguably the best player on offense, has noticed what Okonkwo brings to the table. He mentioned as much when he talked with reporters after camp on Thursday.

“Oh man, he’s very dynamic,” said McLaurin. “He runs routes similar to a big receiver. He has really good feet at the top of his routes. He has the ability to win after the catch and he’s a big target. But even when you have a guy who has great feet like that, who can win similar to a receiver, we may put him out at No. 1 and that’s a mismatch.

“You put a linebacker on him, you put a corner on him, it’s a mismatch. So I think that’s where he could bring our offense where he could be a matchup nightmare, whether he’s in the slot or he’s on the outside.”

It’s easy to see why Okonkwo can become the No. 2 option in this passing attack. Like McLaurin said, he’s a total matchup nightmare, and how David Blough plans on moving guys around the offense should play right into Okonkwo’s hands. Pun totally intended.