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The Washington Football Team will have some tough decisions to make at wide receiver in two weeks when NFL teams trim their rosters to 53 players. Washington already made one move, releasing former sixth-round pick Kelvin Harmon on Sunday.
Washington has several wide receiver spots locked in. Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel, Adam Humphries, Dyami Brown, and, most likely, Cam Sims are on the 53-man roster.
That means there are only one, possibly two, spots remaining. Whoever gets that final spot — or spots — will also need to make an impact on special teams.
Steven Sims Jr. and DeAndre Carter have taken turns impressing coaches both at receiver and punt returner for much of camp. Carter did an outstanding job returning punts in the preseason opener last week.
But one name is often left out in the race at wide receiver, and that is rookie seventh-rounder Dax Milne.
Milne has quietly had a strong training camp and was impressive in the preseason opener. He caught two passes for 16 yards and also had a solid punt return.
On Tuesday, head coach Ron Rivera praised Milne, per Zach Selby of washingtonfootball.com.
“He has progressed very well. He really has,” Rivera said. “You see his natural route running ability showing in certain situations, circumstances.”
Often during camp, Milne has been matched up with a fellow rookie, cornerback Benjamin St-Juste. St-Juste has been the talk of camp, but Milne more than held his own against St-Juste, even winning some one-on-one battles.
Dax working against St-Juste and won the rep pic.twitter.com/JYfdKmoeNi
— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWFT) August 16, 2021
Rivera noted he was a lot bigger and stronger than he initially thought.
“He is a good route runner with good size. To me, that is a pleasant surprise,” Rivera said. “For a guy that plays the slot, you usually have a smaller guy. This guy had a little more size, and he looked good out there on the football field.”
Rivera also praised Milne after Thursday’s preseason opener at New England.
Milne needs to finish the preseason on a strong note. He still has a long battle in front of him, but it’s clear he has the attention of the most important decision-maker in Washington’s organization.