TE Chig Okonkwo Can Be Weapon "In Space" In Commanders Offense

The Washington Commanders' pass catchers have their own question marks to answer when the 2026 regular season kicks off, but there may not be a more impactful addition offensively than tight end Chig Okonkwo.

Though veteran Terry McLaurin's role is being emphasized in the offense with a chance to move around more, something that has been missing through the first seven years of his career, the former Tennessee Titans arrives in Washington with a chance to step into a major role with Okonkwo potentially drawing the early tag as the second-most targeted pass catcher in 2026.

In his first season with the team in 2022, he finished with one fewer catch, six more receiving yards and two more touchdowns than Treylon Burks, who he's reunited with once again in Washington. It would also mark the sign of what was to come after Okonkwo finished top three on the team in receiving yards in each of his four seasons in Tennessee, including a team-leading 56 catches for 560 yards while adding a pair of scores in 2025.

Yet after suffering through inconsistent quarterback play before Cam Ward showed signs of becoming part of the next wave of young quarterbacks during his rookie season, Okonkwo headed to free agency looking for a team that could maximize his touches. For a team like Washington that was in dire need of adding an athletic, YAC machine at a position lacking a true receiving threat, Okonkwo pointed to the Commanders as the best fit with a chance to thrive in David Blough's new offense.

"That's the plan for me is to take that next step of my career and becoming the player that I know I can be," Okonkwo said after OTA practice this week. "I feel like this is definitely the place to do it."

Where Okonkwo thrives is in space, a plus for the one time University of Maryland star who led all tight ends at the NFL scouting combine after posting a 4.52 seconds in the 40 yard dash, joining former college and new Washington teammate Nick Cross to lead their position in the drill. Okonkwo also ranked top-40 in the NFL and ninth among all tight ends with 342 receiving yards after contact in his final season with the Titans, but that number could blow past that after admitting, "the offense is designed to give us space," where Okonkwo thrives. He also proved himself to be a dependable receiving threat after catching at least 70% of his targets in each of the last three seasons after reeling in 69.6% as a rookie.

Now settling in through two weeks of OTAs with the Commanders, Okonkwo could find himself to be a quick favorite target for quarterback Jayden Daniels given nearly 32% of his pass attempts in the NFL have gone to his tight ends. Add in the fact that much of the Commanders' wide receiver room isn't proven with rookie Antonio Williams looking to live up to the splash addition he's been tabbed to be, Okonkwo could be the early season benefactor where he's a capable blocker, can thrive on screens while adding a downfield threat to the room.

"It's been really excited to kind of see him grow and buy all in," Blough said of Okonkwo.

Commanders Roundtable also offers a fan community. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Commanders. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our free community and follow for all of our coverage, analysis and more!