ESPN believes pieces are in place for Commanders rookie to end 23-year-old drought with historic season in 2026
There’s a lot of hype surrounding Commanders third-round rookie receiver Antonio Williams and ESPN believes pieces are in place for him to have a historic year.
There’s a lot of excitement around Washington Commanders’ third-round rookie Antonio Williams and it’s easy to see why.
Williams is not the biggest and fastest guy on the field, but he’s a smooth route-runner with a knack for making plays in space. He also improved his drop issues last year, which adds to his overall career projection.
The hope is Williams can hit the ground running and help Terry McLaurin headline a receiver corps that’s unimpressive when examined from top to bottom. If that happens, Jayden Daniels should have an effective trio of targets in the two wideouts, plus Chigoziem Okonkwo at tight end.
Williams not only has a chance to earn a sizable role off the bat, but ESPN’s Ben Solak predicts the cards are set up for Williams to earn Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2026. If that happens, Williams will be the first wideout to win the award since Anquan Boldin did it all the way back in 2003:
“But Williams has an opportunity that stacks up against many of his early-drafted contemporaries. There is hardly any competition in the Commanders’ receivers room behind Terry McLaurin. Williams will catch passes from Jayden Daniels, a remarkably better quarterback than players such as KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston (Browns) or Omar Cooper Jr. (Jets) will work with in 2026…
“… Williams is also a hand-in-glove fit for David Blough’s Detroit-inspired offense. Williams is an easy glider who makes fearless catches over the middle of the field. … If the Commanders suddenly need to funnel six-plus targets per game his way, he has the deep tool kit and reliable play style to sustain that volume. There are few middle-round rookies for whom I have rosier Year 1 projections than Williams.” – Ben Solak, ESPN
There have been a lot of comparisons to Amon-Ra St. Brown and they make sense even if they are obviously premature. Still, the Detroit Lions wideout finished with 90 receptions for 910 yards and five touchdowns during his rookie year in 2021. That would be a total win for the Commanders if Williams matches or surpasses that total in 2026.
And conveniently enough, Blough was in Detroit during that year, so he got to see the process behind St. Brown’s success from both a team and personal vantage point.
The recipe is there for Williams. We’ll see if he can become the second Commanders player to win OROTY in the last three seasons.