The Washington Commanders had a small surprise in store with their inactive list ahead of Sunday’s season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles.
That surprise came when a pair of wide receivers landed on the inactives list: former 1st-round pick Treylon Burks and 3rd-year wide receiver Luke McCaffrey.
“Washington inactives: WR Luke McCaffrey, WR Trey Burks, QB Athan Kaliakmanis, OL Tanoa Togiai, DL Ricky Barber,” ESPN’s John Keim wrote on X. “Surprised more by Burks being inactive than McCaffrey just because on Friday they had two others retuning KOs (Williams/Lane). Prior to that, felt McCaffrey made the roster in part for his ST play.”
“I had Burks inactive, thinking this game is more about 12/13 personnel than 11 and other WRs help more on ST,” Commanders reporter Ben Standig wrote on his official X account. “The staff chose, imo, Kain Medrano’s coverage skills than McCaffrey’s return skills. Gulbin over Togiai is odd in that Washington basically has two active centers on the bench.”
Commanders Brought Back Burks on New Contract
Burks joined the Commanders at midseason in 2025 and played his way into a respectable payday this offseason.
“The Commanders are bringing back former first-round WR Treylon Burks, who impressed in limited time last season, source said,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport wrote on his official X account on Friday. “The former Titans pick gets a 1-year deal worth a max of $4M.”
Burks, the No. 18 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft by the Tennessee Titans, was released by Tennessee before the 2025 season after he broke his collarbone in training camp.
He signed with the Commanders on October 17 and was brought up to the active roster on November 5 — he played in 8 games with 10 receptions for 130 yards and 1 touchdown.
McCaffrey Left Off 53-Man Roster Projection
McCaffrey suited up and played in the Commanders’ preseason finale on August 28 — an embarrassing 41-3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens — while 6 other wide receivers presumed to have already made the team sat on the sideline and watched.
Hogs Haven’s Scott Bair put out his final 53-man roster prediction on August 29 and left McCaffrey off. Bair’s model kept 6 wide receivers: Terry McLaurin, Stefon Diggs, rookie Antonio Williams, Jaylin Lane, Treylon Burks, and Dyami Brown.
“It’s very possible that I got swayed too much by Friday night’s preseason game,” Bair wrote. “Seeing Treylon Burks and Dyami Brown sit while Luke McCaffrey played changed my mind about this position group. Appropriately or not, I moved McCaffrey off the list at the last minute. Dan Quinn said some of the reasoning of who played Friday was about snaps coming off the joint practice. That didn’t change my mind. If that was all for show or to generate trade leverage for another receiver or McCaffrey simply was asked to play over others, then I’ll own it. The signs just seemed so clear on Friday night. I also originally had Jaden Bradley making it over a vet — you’ve gotta make a bold prediction somewhere — but I pulled that back and followed the breadcrumbs in this position group.”
Commanders Place Former 1st-Round Pick on Inactives List for Week 1