Sports
Commanders have completed the trade of receiver Christian Kirk from the Jacksonville Jaguars
Just eight games into his NFL career, Jayden Daniels has proven that he can not only create magic, but also lead the Washington Commanders to the playoffs. The question is whether he has a enough receiving corps to support him.
The Commanders are 6-2 and lead the NFC East heading into Sunday’s game against the New York Giants, so they must be doing something right. But, let’s face it, the most of the receiving productivity has come from a single player: veteran Terry McLaurin.
He has 40 receptions and four touchdowns. All other receivers on the roster have combined for 60 catches and two touchdowns. One of those scores came on Noah Brown’s miraculous catch at the end of Daniels’ Hail Mary rainbow last week to defeat the Chicago Bears.
McLaurin needs assistance. Daniels needs a secondary option other than tight end Zach Ertz (second on the team with 32 receptions). Olamide Zaccheaus is Washington’s second-most productive receiver after McLaurin, with 19 receptions.
Trenton Scott, an offensive tackle, is one of the players tied with McLaurin for one touchdown reception.
But if general manager Adam Peters wants to add help, he’d better act quickly. And the choices are shrinking. With the Baltimore Ravens trading Diontae Johnson this week and the NFL trade deadline looming on Tuesday, who are the Commanders still looking to add?
Davante Adams had already been traded. The same goes for Amari Cooper and DeAndre Hopkins. This week, the Los Angeles Rams removed Cooper Kupp from the market.
Two such candidates are Christian Kirk of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Mike Williams of the New York Jets. Both teams’ seasons are in decline, and they may begin to accumulate assets for the future.
Kirk, 27, has 27 receptions for 379 yards and a touchdown this year. Williams played 33 snaps in the Jets’ loss to the New England Patriots last week and received zero passes.