3 sneaky trade candidates for Commanders entering 2026 season

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3 sneaky trade candidates for Commanders entering 2026 season

Douglas Fritz, ClutchPoints

Thu, Jul 9, 2026 ·

4 min read

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While the Washington Commanders ' endless Brandon Aiyuk saga marches on, a different receiver has gotten some ESPN love . But the Commanders still have roster work to do. And here are three sneaky trade candidates for the Commanders entering the 2026 season.

The wide receiver position is a point of problem for the Commanders. Did they do enough for the roster to give the offense a chance to thrive this season?

Early returns suggest they did not. So maybe one of these three trades could help solve the issue. Here are the Commanders' candidates.

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WR Jaylin Lane

Yes, there is a strong reason not to do this. But there's a better reason to consider it.

First, Lane is currently the Commanders' punt returner. He's also the backup kick returner. So his value extends beyond the receiver position.

However, the Commanders have an option at punt returner in rookie Antonio Williams. So which makes more sense? Should the Commanders be stronger at punt returner and weaker at receiver? Or should they improve the receiver group and take a chance that Williams can be adequate in that role?

Of course, the Commanders would need to find a trade partner. But the idea is finding a veteran receiver that an NFL team with a strong receiver group could afford to trade.

There's more to Lane's game than returning kicks, according to Sports Illustrated. And that might make him more difficult for the Commanders to trade.

"With new offensive coordinator David Blough viewing his current receiver depth chart as a "basketball roster" philosophy, at 5-10, Lane's 4.34 40-yard dash makes him a field-stretching vertical threat that will make safeties respect the long ball," Philip Hughes wrote. "He's like Stephen Curry without any mid-range game, all long ball. That type of player strains defenses and gives the underneath routes life. One negative with Lane was his ball security in 2025. As a player with no history of turnovers, he dropped a pass and fumbled three times, recovering one."

There's enough in that description to make Lane a viable trade candidate.

FS Jeremy Reaves

This is a difficult one. Reaves is coming off his best season as a pro. He started eight games, totaling 91 tackles, a sack, an interception, five tackles for loss, and two quarterback hits.

And he has a strong special-teams history, earning All-Pro honors in 2022.

However, Reaves is an eight-year veteran. And he's 29 years old. This would be the classic case of a team selling high. Anybody who watched Reaves play last season saw the hustle plays and big moments.

Don't get confused. This isn't a call to trade Reaves. He's second-string on the depth chart, but he brings clear value to the team.

However, that value is what matters in trade talks. And perhaps the Commanders could pair Reaves with Lane and a moderate draft pick to get a receiver who changes the offense from spinning in mud to a dynamic group.

RB Rachaad White

It might not make sense for the Commanders to trade White after signing in March. White enters his fifth NFL season, totaling 2,656 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground. He also had 1,450 yards receiving with 11 scores.

However, he's not a special running back. Need proof? He's not the starter , according to ESPN. And yet the Commanders have a seventh-round running back in that spot. Plus, there's talk of a running-back-by-committee approach with White, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Kaytron Allen, and Jerome Ford, according to the Commanders' YouTube page via Yahoo.

"It'll be some main guys in certain parts, where it may not be one person the entire time," Quinn said recently. "But I do like the competition within the group, I think we'll for sure be more than just one."

If White can't stand out in that group, there's a problem. However, the very thing that made the Commanders sign him is what brings trade value. He can run the football and catch the football. That matters.

Obviously, the Commanders aren't going to get a big haul for any of those guys. But they're not looking for a WR1 or WR2, either. What they need is a veteran WR3, who could stretch his ability into the WR2 spot in a pinch. It's still not easy to find such a player. But that's the position the Commanders have found themselves facing.

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