Of all the terrible things that came from the Tennessee Titans in the last few years, there were still a few bright spots that came through.
Tight end Chig Okonkwo was 1 of those bright spots, and now he’s with the Washington Commanders, in his prime, and thanks to a 3-year, $27 million free-agent contract signed on March 11.
Okonkwo topped the list of “Breakout Candidates” in 2026 from Covering the Commanders’ Josh Taylor.
“I think Chig has been great so far in his career, but there’s that untapped ceiling that just hasn’t been hit yet,” Taylor said on June 8. “I think with Washington, you see exactly why he wanted to come here. 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 … we saw him run a whip route at OTAs. 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.”
Commanders in Desperate Situation at Tight End
The Commanders were in dire straits at tight end following the 2025 season.
Veteran starter Zach Ertz suffered a catastrophic knee injury in Week 14, former 2nd-round pick Ben Sinnott seems like a bust after 2 season, and John Bates, is basically getting paid $7 million per year to block, which makes little sense for a team without an elite running back.
So, the Commanders went out and paid big money for Okonkwo hoping he’ll become the star they need him to be from the jump.
“The Commanders are expected to sign free agent TE Chig Okonkwo, giving him a 3-year deal worth up to $30M,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport wrote on his official X account. “The Commanders land the top tight end available.”
In 4 seasons, Okonkwo has career numbers of 194 receptions for 2,017 yards and 8 touchdowns. According to Pro Football Focus, he’s 5th among all NFL tight ends over the last 4 seasons with 39 missed tackles forced.
Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels has already shown a proclivity for leaning on his tight end — Ertz had 91 receptions for 654 yards and 7 touchdowns in 2024 as Daniels was named NFL Offense Rookie of the Year.
Chig Okonkwo Called ‘Top Trade Asset’ Before Season
Okonkwo, 6-foot-3 and 238 pounds, spent his first 4 seasons on the Titans playing for increasingly worse teams — and 3 different head coaches. Tennessee went 7-10 in 2022, 6-11 in 2023, and 3-14 in 2024 and 2025.
He was also called one of the NFL’s top trade assets before the 2025 season as the Titans went in looking at a full-on rebuild with 2025 No. 1 overall pick and quarterback Cam Ward.
“Tennessee took Okonkwo in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, and thanks to his freakish athleticism, there were heavy expectations for the University of Maryland product,” Sports Illustrated’s Matthew Schmidt wrote in April 2025. ” … Okonkwo is still just 25 years old, so he could also represent a potential trade candidate in the coming months, and he would certainly have some value. Maybe Tennessee is considering making sweeping changes as the (Cam) Ward era begins.”
Commanders’ $27 Million Free Agent Draws Attention for ‘Untapped Ceiling’