So what if it’s not even Halloween?
For all intents and purposes, the Commanders have a plethora of talented pass catchers they could make a deal for, with Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox adding Carolina Panthers wide receiver Diontae Johnson to the list of potential trade targets heading into Week 7 and ahead of the NFL’s November 5 trade deadline.
“The Commanders, who lack a reliable No. 2 receiver opposite Terry McLaurin, should also be interested (in Johnson),” said Knox. “Rookie Jayden Daniels could give Johnson something he doesn’t have in Carolina—a quarterback who create big plays on the fly.”
If the Commanders are interested in Johnson, they can get a close look at him in Week 7, when the Panthers travel to meet the Commanders on October 20.
Johnson One of the few bright spots for Panthers.
The Panthers are 1-5 going into Sunday’s game against the Commanders, and their season has been defined by benching 2023 No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young after only two games.
Despite this, Johnson has been one of Carolina’s few bright lights, leading the club with 29 receptions for 340 yards and three touchdowns.
Johnson has been one of the league’s top wide receivers and special teams players at various points since the Pittsburgh Steelers selected him in the third round of the 2019 NFL draft from Toledo.
Johnson was named NFL All-Pro and selected to the Pro Bowl as a rookie return specialist in 2019, and he set career highs in receptions (107), receiving yards (1,161), and touchdowns (8) in 2021 before signing a four-year, $36.7 million contract deal before the 2022 season.
Johnson has had at least 700 receiving yards in each of the previous four seasons and was moved to Carolina in March 2024.
Commanders need another option than McLaurin.
While the Commanders have been one of the NFL’s biggest and greatest narratives because to Daniels’ outstanding play, and they are 4-2 entering their game against the Panthers, it’s difficult to ignore the fact that McLaurin has been their lone successful wide receiver.
While McLaurin leads the Commanders with 29 receptions for 356 yards and four touchdowns, there is a significant drop off at the position after that: Washington’s second and third leading receivers are tight end Zach Ertz and backup running back Austin Ekeler.
Aside from McLaurin, the Commanders’ most recent wide receiver highlight has been what appears to be a genius trade involving 2022 first-round pick Jahan Dotson, whom they shipped to the Philadelphia Eagles along with a fifth-round pick in exchange for a third-round pick and two seventh-round picks before the regular season.
Financially, the Commanders ate $500,000 of Dotson’s $2 million pay in 2024, but the Eagles are responsible for the entire $3.2 million owed to him in 2025 — the final season of his fully guaranteed, four-year, $15 million rookie contract.
Through five games with the Eagles in 2024, Dotson has 12 receptions for 35 yards and no touchdowns.
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