One fan-favorite undrafted rookie can lock in a roster spot for the Commanders with another impressive performance against the Bengals
The Commanders may have a gem in the WR room.
Monday night can be a massive opportunity for a lot of players for the Washington Commanders, but one player can take a major jump in the depth chart. The Commanders have had an issue with the depth in the WR room, which leaves a window of opportunity for a breakout candidate to emerge.
Terry McLaurin’s absence has magnified the rest of the WR room, and the first preseason game was only highlighted by undrafted rookie Ja’Corey Brooks. Brooks can help lock in a roster spot with another impressive performance.
Brooks can steal a roster spot
I think it’s safe to say that five spots in the WR room are locks with McLaurin, Deebo Samuel, Noah Brown, Jaylin Lane, and Luke McCaffrey, leaving another spot or two open for Brooks. The first preseason game for the Commanders was ugly, especially in the passing game, but Brooks stood out as he led the team with 5 catches for 59 yards in his first NFL game.
He’s been getting more reps with Jayden Daniels as training camp has progressed, and he could get in the game earlier on Monday night, leading to better opportunities.
Brooks has impressed every time he gets the opportunity, and he’s continued to show that he should have been drafted. The only thing that hurt his draft stock was his playing speed, but he still showed in his lone season at Louisville that he can produce at a high level.
He was the leading weapon for Tyler Shough and the Cardinals as he finished with 61 catches for 1,013 yards and nine touchdowns. Brooks doesn’t have the deep speed expected, but he still wins the vertical route with his urgency and ability to stack defensive backs.
Even when he doesn’t get separation, Brooks has elite contested catch ability and led the entire draft class with a 69.6 contested catch rate. He’s a big play waiting to happen, and had 20 catches that went for 20+ yards last season.
Brooks showed in the first preseason game that his traits can translate to the NFL, and his usage on Monday night against the Bengals will show us what the team thinks of him. If he continues to get more playing time with Daniels to build a connection, he could steal a roster spot and become an emerging weapon for the Commanders’ offense that needs a young player to step up.
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