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Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen.

The Washington Commanders have received a lot of praise for drafting Clemson wide receiver Antonio Williams in the 3rd round of the 2026 NFL draft. That’s because there’s a really good chance Williams will be an elite player 1 day.

Counting on Williams to help them win games in 2026, however, seems foolhardy.

That’s why Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski listed signing a veteran wide receiver as No. 1 on Washington’s “to-do list” before training camp starts next month.

The best fit, to that end, would likely be 6-time Pro Bowler Keenan Allen, who could not only step in and be the WR2 behind Terry McLaurin right away, but likely be a great resource for the continued development of 3rd-year quarterback Jayden Daniels.

Daniels and McLaurin are both headed into a career-defining year — Daniels after he missed 10 games due to injuries in 2025, and McLaurin after he missed a career-high 7 games immediately after signing a 3-year, $97 million contract extension.

“A healthy Jayden Daniels will go a long way,” Sobleski wrote on June 15. “But the organization still has multiple areas to consider, starting at wide receiver, where it failed to bring in a significant target opposite Terry McLaurin. Stefon Diggs, Keenan Allen, and DeAndre Hopkins are available. Maybe Washington makes a play for Brandon Aiyuk. Deebo Samuel could return for another season.”

Commanders Don’t Have Much Behind McLaurin

The Commanders showed they could win without a true WR2 in 2024 with McLaurin and tight end Zach Ertz getting the bulk of the targets from Daniels.

Following a catastrophic knee injury to Ertz in Week 14 of the 2025 regular season, the Commanders made a splash in free agency by signing tight end Chig Okonkwo to a 3-year, $27 million free-agent contract on March 11.

Okonkwo topped the list of “Breakout Candidates” on the roster from  Covering the Commanders’ Josh Taylor.

“I think with Washington, you see exactly why he wanted to come here,” Taylor said on June 8. “He looked at the tight end room and saw John Bates and Ben Sinnott, and those are tight ends that really don’t catch the ball and really just block. (Okonkwo) is going to go in the slot, he’s going to go into motion … I’m excited to see what Chig can do in this offense, and they’re going to use him as a weapon. I also think he’s underrated as a blocker. Chig will demand targets.”

Decade of Dominance for WR Keenan Allen

Allen, 6-foot-2 and 211 pounds, has been 1 of the NFL’s elite wide receivers since the Chargers drafted him out of Cal in the 3rd round (No. 76 overall) of the 2013 NFL draft.

The 34-year-old had 6 seasons with over 1,000 receiving yards before he was traded to the Bears in March 2024 for a 4th-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft.

One popular school of thought is that the Chargers won’t let Allen go elsewhere again and will cut a deal to bring him back for what could be his final NFL season in 2026.

“I have a strong feeling that the Bolts front office and Keenan Allen have mutually agreed for him to return for one last season—not to be the main guy, but to be the veteran presence in a young WR room,” Boltz Galaxy wrote on its official X account on May 12. “My guess is he’s just skipping training camp, and then it’ll be announced.”