Washington Position Group Breakdown: Wide Receivers

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July 2, 2025

by David Earl

Returning Players and Free Agent Signings

While the contract talks seem to have stalled with Terry McLaurin, I am confident a deal will be done. Rightfully so, too, as McLaurin has been this team’s most reliable receiver over the years and a true go-to player for Jayden Daniels last season. As a matter of perspective, he ranks 6th in the league at drop rate compared to the other top wide receivers in the game, at just 3.4% in 117 targets. Puka Nacua leads that group with a .9% drop rate off 106 targets, followed by Tyreek Hill‘s 1.6% off 123 targets. McLaurin trails just behind Justin Jefferson‘s 3.2% drop rate off 154 targets as D.J. Moore (2.1%) and Amon-Ra St. Brown (2.8%) rank 3rd and 4th, respectively, on this list. McLaurin’s 3.4% drop rate is a .4% improvement from the 2023 season.

Deebo Samuel Sr. had a 7.4% drop rate last season off 51 targets, and is at 7.6% for his career. So as Samuel will have some bad drops at times, what he additionally adds to this offense should make up for it. He adds a total of 202 carries for 1,143 yards in the run game throughout his career, and scored 20 touchdowns in this time frame. Washington will certainly hope for a resurgence in production from his 2021 season, where Samuel amassed a total of 1,770 scrimmage yards, with 77 receptions off 121 targets and scoring 14 touchdowns.

Michael Gallup is an intriguing addition to this roster, as his last season of play was 2023 for the Dallas Cowboys. In the 2019 and 2020 seasons, he had over 100 targets, eclipsing 800 yards receiving both those seasons (the 2019 season had 1,107 yards). The following season was underwhelming, though, as he had less than 500 yards receiving. He brings a career 14.1 yards per reception average, but does have a 7.5% drop rate. Gallup could be a solid number 4 receiver and a potential replacement for the often injured Noah Brown, who has a career 7.1% drop rate. A name that is certainly under the radar is K.J. Osborn, and an impressive career 3.8% drop rate. In his 3 seasons (2021-2023) with the Minnesota Vikings, Osborn had 158 receptions from 247 targets (3.6% drop rate) and averaged 11.7 yards per reception. Osborn is definitely in the mix for the back end of this position group to make the team.

Rounding out this group is Luke McCaffrey, who is still developing. Draft capital used and the potential upside will see him make this roster, but they will count on him to take the next step. In college, he transitioned from quarterback to wide receiver as he is quick out of his breaks at top speed and is a sure-handed receiver, as stated in his scouting report. He struggled to release himself from press coverage. In addition, he can be one-dimensional with his speed, especially in transitions into his routes. I don’t want to call this a make-or-break year for McCaffrey, but I am sure the expectations are high, too. Finally, there are a couple of veterans, Chris Moore and Mike Strachan, who could ultimately be bound for the practice squad.

Career Stats
Player G GS Tgt Rec Yds Y/R TD Succ% Y/G Ctch% Y/Tgt
Terry McLaurin 97 97 726 460 6379 13.9 38 53 65.8 63.4 8.8
Deebo Samuel Sr. 81 73 510 334 4792 14.3 22 50.6 59.2 65.5 9.4
Noah Brown 87 34 251 150 2000 13.3 6 51.8 23 59.8 8
Luke McCaffrey 17 4 24 18 168 9.3 0 50 9.9 75 7
Michael Gallup 86 67 479 266 3744 14.1 21 49.1 43.5 55.5 7.8
K.J. Osborn 67 34 265 165 1902 11.5 16 49.1 28.4 62.3 7.2
Chris Moore 111 18 215 138 1710 12.4 8 46 15.4 64.2 8
Mike Strachan 23 1 15 6 130 21.7 0 40 5.7 40 8.7

The Rookies

Of this group, the name to watch is Jaylin Lane, who had a five-year career at the college level, splitting time between Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) and Virginia Tech. In three years at MTSU, he amassed a total of 124 receptions, 1,528 yards, averaging 12.3 yards per reception. He had a total of 1,626 scrimmage yards and 11 total touchdowns. Lane totaled 79 receptions and 1,004 yards at Virginia Tech for an average of 12.7 per reception. He totaled 1,171 scrimmage yards and 10 total touchdowns. Targeted by Adam Peters for being his top punt returner in college, Lane has returned 39 kicks for 485 yards and 67 punts for 733 yards and two touchdowns, adding a more dynamic punch to the return game.

Lane potentially fills a hole left behind by the loss of Olamide Zaccheaus and Dyami Brown. His speed and versatility look to be an interesting asset in Kliff Kingsbury’s offense. He can fill much of the same role as what Deebo Samuel Jr. brings to Washington as well. With this being Samuel’s only year under contract, Washington could groom Lane to take over whatever role they will have Samuel playing this year going forward.

At the NFL Combine, Lane ran a 4.34-second forty-time, 1.5-second ten-yard split, and 4.12-second twenty-yard shuttle times. He measured a 40″ vertical jump and 11′ broad jump, and had a 14-rep bench press. He is an explosive straight-line runner and is excellent at running after the catch. He works well in space, and his versatility allows him to play inside and outside. He is also a threat in the run game. Carries a smaller frame and will struggle to maintain separation at times. Lane will need to develop his route tree and lacks proper technique as a blocker. As for Ja’Corey Brooks and Jacoby Jones, they most likely project as developmental players battling for a practice squad position.

College Career Stats
Receiving Total Scrimmage Yds
Player G Rec Yds Y/R TD Y/G Plays Yds Avg TD
Jaylin Lane 54 203 2532 12.5 18 46.9 249 2796 11 21
Ja’Corey Brooks 49 118 1909 16.2 19 39 118 1909 16 19
Jacoby Jones 29 75 1251 16.7 8 43.1 77 1262 16 8