The Washington Commanders — and their fans — saw enough of wide receiver Dyami Brown in his 1st 4 seasons that, when he signed a 1-year, $10 million free-agent contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars before the 2025 season, it certainly registered some surprise that he would score such a payday.
After 1 disappointing season in Jacksonville, Brown is back in Washington for the 2026 season on a 1-year, $1.75 million contract, and promising things will be different this time around.
Brown released an 11-minute offseason recap/workout video on his YouTube channel that showed him going through his offseason paces — lifting weights and running routes — then symbolically pouring out some water at the end.
“That’s to the old me,” Brown said. “This is the new me.”
Brown’s projections for 2026 are kind of all over the place thanks to the growing uncertainty surrounding Commanders wide receivers, where only Terry McLaurin and free-agent tight end Chig Okonkwo seem like locks for targets.
“We know who WR1 is in Washington, but the WR2 spot is completely up for grabs,” Sleeper Commanders wrote on its official X account. “Don’t sleep on Dyami Brown being a great WR2. Really good to see Commanders WR Dyami Brown putting the work in this offseason. The footwork on his releases and how violently he’s snapping off his vertical stems look incredibly sharp. Him and Terry could be the perfect pair together.”
Dyami Brown: Worst Hands in the NFL?
Even as a 3rd-round pick, Brown has underperformed at every moment of his career except for 1.
Fortunately for Brown — and his bank account — it was the most important moment of his career.
Were it not for that bravura stretch of games for the Commanders in the magic playoff run following the 2024 season, Brown surely wouldn’t have landed his $10 million payday with the Jaguars.
What’s been lost in all of this is that Brown might have the worst hands of any wide receiver in the NFL. In 2025, Brown was second in the NFL in drop rate at 13.5 percent, behind Atlanta Falcons wide receiver David Sills at 13.9 percent.
The Jaguars were in desperate need of help from Brown, who was a stunning disappointment in his 1 season there with 20 receptions for 220 yards and 1 touchdown in 14 games.
It’s not the 1st time in Brown’s career that drops have been an issue.
Elite NFL wide receivers typically have drop rates below 5 percent — the very best of the best are usually around 2 to 3 percent. In 2023 with the Commanders, Brown had a drop rate of 8.7 percent.
Commanders in Desperate Situation at WR
It’s hard not to see the Commanders signing Brown as a desperate move, even if it was at a cut-rate deal. Which makes sense, because the Commanders are in a desperate situation at wide receiver.
The Commanders put all of their eggs in 1 basket at wide receiver in 2025. They traded for San Francisco 49ers star Deebo Samuel and signed NFL All-Pro Terry McLaurin to a 3-year, $97 million contract.
Samuel was decent but not even close to being worth the $17 million he was paid for 1 season. McLaurin bottomed out with the worst season of his career, missing a career-high 7 games and career lows of 38 receptions, 582 yards, and 3 touchdowns.
The result was the Commanders going from 12-5 and the NFC Championship Game in 2024 to going 5-12 in 2025.
Embattled Commanders WR Declares ‘New Me’ Ready to Shine