2021 3rd-Round Commanders Pick Named ‘Best’ Cut Candidate

Getty Dyami Brown after the catch.

The Washington Commanders entered the offseason with more cap space than anyone in the NFL, allowing them to reshape their roster after a 4-13 season. Adding Austin Ekeler, Zach Ertz, Jayden Daniels, and others on the offensive side of the football, the Commanders unit looks to be much improved. With an upgraded offense, it’s tough to see a scenario where Dyami Brown has an impact, and David Kenyon of Bleacher Report tabbed him as the “best” player who could be cut in the offseason.

“Similar to a few others, Washington is pretty thin on recognizable players who even can be entertained here,” Kenyon wrote in his May 19 column exploring players who could be cut from every team. “The roster needs all the talent it can get. Dyami Brown has played a minor role on offense in his three seasons with the franchise and mostly contributed on special teams in 2023.”

Dyami Brown Called a ‘Bust’ After 2023 Season

Brown was drafted in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft by the Washington Commanders. The hope for him when he entered the league was to do what he did at North Carolina, where he put up back-to-back seasons with over 1,000 yards in his final two seasons.

However, in his first three seasons with the Commanders, he hasn’t put up half of the amount of yards he did in college, posting just 476 combined yards.

The production from the 24-year-old hasn’t been ideal, which was enough to be called a bust by Dean Jones of Riggos Rag.

“Despite these lofty goals, Brown’s been an afterthought over his first three seasons in Washington,” Jones wrote on February 17 when he listed four Commanders players he can safely call busts. “With 62 targets – 29 of which he’s brought in for 476 receiving yards and three touchdowns – there’s just something missing where the wideout is concerned.

“Even when Sam Howell became the Commanders’ starting quarterback, Brown couldn’t become more influential. This was the most damning indictment of all when one considers how this partnership flourished with the Tar Heels in college.”

Former Commanders quarterback Sam Howell and Brown were an impressive duo during their North Carolina days.

Brown Likely ‘Will Not Survive’

The Washington Commanders announced their rookie numbers on May 9 and Mike Sainristil is sharing Brown’s No. 2. Sainristil was drafted with the No. 50 pick in the 2024 NFL draft, being drafted by the new coaching staff.

Ivan Lambert of Commanders Wire wrote that it wouldn’t be a “stretch” if Sainristil wore the No. 2 jersey instead of Brown.

“Consequently, it would not be a stretch to conclude that if both Brown and Sainristil make the final 53-man roster, Sainristil will wear the No. 2 jersey.”

Lambert wrote that Brown likely “will not survive” if he doesn’t have an impressive preseason.

“Most likely, Brown will not survive unless he has an impressive preseason.” Lambert wrote on May 11. “He simply cannot afford to have the unimpressive preseason games he has experienced thus far.”

That makes the jersey number situation something to monitor as the Commanders’ wide receiver is viewed as someone who could be cut.