RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. The Washington Commanders spent the offseason looking for a way to replace Zach Ertz, and they think they found their answer in Chig Okonkwo — a tight end who might bring something Washington's offense hasn't really had before.
The Commanders signed Okonkwo in March to a three-year, $27 million deal, worth up to $30 million with incentives, making it Washington's biggest offseason signing on offense.
On Thursday, Commanders' leading receiver Terry McLaurin, whose spent his entire seven-year NFL career in Washington, had some high praise for the explosive young tight end.
“Oh, man. He’s very dynamic. He runs routes similar to like a big receiver," McLaurin told reporters. "When you have a guy who has great feet like that, who can win similar to a receiver, we may put him at number one, and that’s a mismatch. You put a linebacker on him, you put a corner on him, it’s a mismatch."
"I don't know what his background was at Tennessee, but he's going to get a lot of opportunities here to really help us, and I know he's going to do that. He has a great attitude, he's fun to be around, and I'm glad he's on our team," McLaurin added.
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Okonkwo comes over from the Tennessee Titans, where he spent his first four NFL seasons after being taken in the fourth round (143rd overall) of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Maryland. That makes this a homecoming of sorts for Okonkwo as well, returning to the DMV area where he played his college ball.
Surprisingly, Tennessee let him walk in free agency after the best season of his career. He led all Titans pass-catchers with a career-high 560 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 56 catches in 2025 — and he topped 450 receiving yards in each of his four seasons there.
Now, he'll have Jayden Daniels throwing him the ball.
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Outside of McLaurin, the Commanders don't really have an established No. 2 option. They signed veteran Van Jefferson in the offseason, brought back Dyami Brown, drafted Antonio Williams in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft, and have other young pieces developing, like Luke McCaffrey and Jaylin Lane. But Okonkwo has a real opportunity to break out in 2026.
A 6-foot-3, 240-pound "wide receiver" might be exactly what unlocks this Commanders offense.
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