Tag: Dyami Brown

Quick facts from the Commanders’ Week 15 win over the Saints

Some quick facts and numbers from the Commanders’ win over the Saints.

The Commanders survived and that’s about all they did late, holding on dearly for a 20-19 win over the Saints at Caesars Stadium in New Orleans.

Here are some of the quick facts from the ninth win of the Commanders’ season:

  • It was ugly, and they were holding on for dear life, but it was the Commanders’ 9th win of the year. The first time that has happened since the 2015 season. Ron Rivera often mentioned how they were division winners in 2020, but it was a losing 7-9 season.
  • The Commanders were 9 for 17 on third downs today and 1-1 on fourth down.
  • The Commanders ran 74 offensive plays to only 51 for the Saints. However, their drives were killed by giving up an obscene eight quarterback sacks.
  • Today, the Commanders were called for nine penalties for a loss of 84 yards. The most crucial was a Dyami Brown reception which would have allowed the Commanders to run the clock down to less than a minute, but a holding penalty negated it.
  • Today was the tale of two games: Washington dominated the first two and one-half quarters by a 17-0 margin. However, in the last one-and-one-half quarter, the Saints outscored the Commanders 19-3.
  • Jayden Daniels completed 25 of 31 passes for 226 yards, two touchdown passes, and no interceptions, but he was sacked eight times!
  • For the third game this season, the Commanders allowed 0 first-half points. The last time they accomplished this feat was in the 2015 season.
  • Terry McLaurin had seven receptions for 73 yards and two touchdown receptions, which gave McLaurin 11 receiving touchdowns this season, a career-high.
  • Terry McLaurin’s two first-half touchdown receptions was the second time he has done this in 2024. The last time a Washington player caught two touchdowns in a half was Jordan Reed in 2015.
  • Dominating the first half, the Commanders had a 13-2 lead in first downs, were 6-9 on third downs while the Saints were only 1-6, and had outgained the Saints 165-38. However, they only led 14-0.
  • Veteran wide receiver Jamison Crowder missed most of the season on injured reserve. Returning today, he contributed three receptions for 27 yards.
  • With the loss of KR/ RB Austin Ekeler, Luke McCaffrey today stepped in and had three returns for 30+ yards.
  • TE Zach Ertz made a nice one-handed grab but was injured on the tackle. He was ruled out with a concussion and did not return. If he can’t return next week vs the Eagles, this could be huge.
  • Saints QB Jake Haener passed for only 49 first-half yards and was replaced by Spencer Rattler, who passed for 135 second-half yards, a passing touchdown, and was only a two-point conversion away from pulling out the Saints’ comeback win.
  • Today’s win clinched Washington’s first winning season since the 2016 team finished 8-7-1.

 

Commanders WR Terry McLaurin with a vote of confidence for Dyami Brown

Terry McLaurin believes big things are coming for Dyami Brown.

Terry McLaurin is having a career year for the Washington Commanders. The sixth-year wide receiver is on pace to set a new career-high in receiving yards and has already shattered his record for touchdowns.

McLaurin will join some exclusive company when he picks up 104 receiving yards sometime over the next four games and goes over 1,000 yards for the fifth consecutive season. But while McLaurin is thriving under new offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury and rookie Jayden Daniels under center, he sees the growth of another young Commander: Wide receiver Dyami Brown.

Brown, 25, was a third-round pick in the 2021 NFL draft, with many proclaiming him as a draft steal. Unfortunately, things haven’t gone as planned for various reasons. Yet Brown has done everything asked of him, even standing out on special teams while he awaited his turn on offense.

Like McLaurin, Brown has seen his fortunes change with Kingsbury and Daniels. This week, Washington’s top offense lost its third-leading receiver, Noah Brown, potentially for the season. This came two weeks after running back Austin Ekeler, the team’s fourth-leading receiver, was lost for at least four weeks due to a concussion.

Dyami Brown has already established a career-high in receptions and receiving yards this season. Brown had a season-high five targets in the Week 13 win over the Tennessee Titans, which could be the beginning of a new trend.

McLaurin has 100% confidence in the fourth-year receiver.

“I’m super proud to see the way that Dyami’s grown over his time here,” McLaurin said on Friday. “You know, I’ve been here pretty much for his whole time, and I’ve seen the way he’s grown and really learned what it takes to be a pro. And the consistency in the work ethic that he’s put in over the last few years has been extremely evident.”

McLaurin acknowledged that Brown hasn’t always received the opportunities but believes that is changing now. Brown has thrived in the screen game for Washington due to his vision and ability to run after the catch. However, he’s best known for his deep-ball ability, which is something to watch moving forward.

The Commanders face the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, with Brown figuring to have a prominent role.

Commanders WR not so sure about Bill Belichick and North Carolina

What does one former UNC star think about Tar Heels hiring Bill Belichick?

On Wednesday, the NFL and college football world was shocked when the legendary Bill Belichick agreed to become the next head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels.

You read that correctly. The 72-year-old Belichick, who won six Super Bowls as head coach of the New England Patriots, surprised everyone by accepting a college head coaching job.

It seems like a strange mix on paper. Belichick began his coaching career in the NFL in 1975. He’s never coached in the college game. And, as you know, college sports are rapidly changing with NIL and the transfer portal. Not only do you recruit high school players, but you recruit transfers and, at the end of each year, must recruit your own players to return, or they’ll leave for more money elsewhere.

Also, North Carolina isn’t necessarily a football powerhouse. And they just fired a 73-year-old coach. UNC is more known for its basketball program. However, some view the Tar Heels as a potential sleeping giant on the gridiron.

Perhaps it’s the greatest coach in football history who can help Carolina reach its ceiling.

Washington Commanders wide receiver Dyami Brown is not so sure. Why is Brown commenting on Belichick and the Tar Heels? He’s a former star wideout for the Heels, becoming the first player in school history with 1,000 yards receiving in back-to-back seasons.

The fourth-year receiver was asked how he thought Belichick would do in the college game.

“I don’t know, I don’t know how that will work,” Brown said with a smile. “It’s a different ballgame out there now. However it happens, I hope he can recruit.”

Then JP Finlay of NBC Washington and 106.7 The Fan asked Brown how Belichick would respond if a 17-year-old told him he wasn’t making enough money.

“I don’t know; I guess he’s just going to tell him no. Tell him, ‘You don’t deserve that right now.'”

One former UNC star who once played for Belichick in the NFL, Lawrence Taylor, was thrilled with the hire.

It will be interesting to see how Belichick fills out his coaching staff, and you can bet the NFL world will be watching.

Dyami Brown’s fourth career TD helps Commanders continue impressive 2024 start

Wide receiver Dyami Brown, who played at UNC from 2018-2020, just enjoyed his biggest game of the NFL season on Sunday afternoon.

The Washington Commanders are one of the NFL’s greatest early-season surprises, winning four consecutive games and finding themselves atop the NFC East.

Washington’s latest win was keyed by a former North Carolina Tar Heels football standout.

Dyami Brown, who recorded consecutive 1,000-yard seasons for the Tar Heels in 2019 (1,034) and 2020 (1,099), caught his fourth career touchdown Sunday in the Commanders’ 34-13 stomping of the Cleveland Browns.

Brown ended his afternoon with 57 yards on just two catches, with his yardage total being second behind Terry McLaurin. Brown’s yardage total Sunday was his highest in a game this season, with his previous high (17) coming against the rival New York Giants in Week 2.

Officially listed behind McLaurin on Washington’s depth chart, Brown now has 97 receiving yards through five games.

Brown caught passes from two different quarterbacks in his UNC career: Nathan Elliott (what a throwback) in 2018, then current Seattle Seahawks backup Sam Howell in both 2019 and 2020.

Brown’s freshman season was one of North Carolina’s overall worst in program history, with its two victories coming against Pitt and Western Carolina. The Tar Heels won just their fourth bowl game of the 21st century in 2019, then won eight games and played Texas A&M in the 2021 Orange Bowl.

If the Commanders’ wide receiver group wasn’t so deep, I like to think Brown would be starting. He’s still currently on his rookie deal and hasn’t been released or traded yet, so Washington must see him as part of its future plans.

With more outings like Sunday’s against what was supposed to be one of the NFL’s top defensive units, don’t be surprised to see Brown’s name called more in 2024.

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What Jayden Daniels saw on touchdown pass to Dyami Brown

Kliff Kingsbury already trusts Jayden Daniels to call plays he likes.

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels was phenomenal again in Sunday’s 34-13 win over the Cleveland Browns. Daniels was so good he didn’t play the final 13 minutes.

If you ask Daniels about the win, he’d tell you it’s another opportunity for growth. As good as he was against the Browns, he wasn’t perfect. His interception is one throw he’d like to have back.

However, Daniels shook off a slow start against Cleveland’s pass rush and led the Commanders on six scoring drives. Daniels had several big runs and made some big plays in the passing game.

There was one sequence in the second quarter where Daniels used his legs to set up a 41-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Dyami Brown.

First, here’s the play:

During the play before, Daniels scrambled and saw something that had him going to offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury to call the play, which would be the touchdown to Brown. He explained it after the game.

“I ran out of bounds the play before and then kind of saw some of the defense, I had seen they were playing man coverage, and I was turning back around, and I said, man let’s take a shot to Kliff and he called the play and we did it,” Daniels said. 

This is impressive on many levels. How many rookie quarterbacks would see this? How many rookie quarterbacks would deliver like Daniels did after the coach took his advice?

This is next-level stuff from Daniels; his comfort with the scheme and Kingsbury is encouraging moving forward.

 

Watch: Commanders WR Dyami Brown putting in work on his day off

The Commanders are off this weekend, but Dyami Brown is putting in work.

The Washington Commanders had high hopes for wide receiver Dyami Brown after selecting him in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft. Unfortunately, Brown has 29 receptions for 476 yards and two touchdowns through three seasons. Two of those touchdowns came in one game two years ago.

While Brown has failed to meet expectations, he has contributed to the special teams in his first three years. Heading into this year, Brown’s standing on the 53-man roster was in question.

How did Brown respond? Outside of Terry McLaurin, no Washington receiver stood out in training camp like Brown. That included former first-round pick Jahan Dotson, who the Commanders traded within the division to Philadelphia last week.

Brown went from being on the bubble to being indispensable. Coaches praised Brown’s work ethic and production, as did his teammates. Brown could finally be on the verge of a breakout season, which also happens to be a contract year. Brown appears already to have a strong rapport with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels.

Head coach Dan Quinn gave the players the long weekend off. Once the team returns for practice next week, every week outside of the bye week will be busy. So what did Brown do to begin the long weekend?

He was working.

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Quinn wanted his players to have the weekend off but secretly loved seeing Brown work on his craft from the team’s facilities. Quinn and his staff are about competition. Brown accepted that challenge.

 

Commanders Mike Sainristil has a new number, so does Marcus Mariota

Mike Sainristil’s new number is Marcus Mariota’s old number.

Remember when rookie cornerback Mike Sainristil wore the No. 2 jersey in the spring? There was no issue with Sainristil wearing the No. 2, except that number already belonged to wide receiver Dyami Brown.

While players can share a number in the offseason, it changes once rosters are finalized for the regular season. On Tuesday, Washington finalized its initial 53-man roster, with Sainristil and Brown making the club.

Someone would need to change. Brown, entering his fourth season, has seniority, so he remains No. 2, while Sainristil switches to No. 0.

The person who previously wore 0, quarterback Marcus Mariota, also made a switch. Mariota goes from 0 to No. 18.

Here’s Mariota in his new number:

As for Sainristil, here he is in his new number:

That Sainristil jersey should be a big-time seller. The rookie cornerback from Michigan had an outstanding training camp and is already a starter.

Dyami Brown jolted into WR2 role after Washington Commanders trade

Former UNC receiver, Dyami Brown, rises in the depth chart after Washington Commanders trade.

Over the course of the offseason, we have been talking about the possibility of Dyami Brown heading into the season as a solid WR3 and even the potential for the former UNC football star to be the WR2 on the Washington Commanders.

Well, that day has come. Today, the Commanders sent Jahan Dotson, the presumed WR2 on the team, to the Eagles in exchange for draft picks. With Dotson no longer on the team, it not only vacates the position for Brown to step into, but it also vacates the targets that Dotson received.

Even with average play last season from former Tar Heel Sam Howell, Dotson received 83 total targets reeling in 49 receptions. Despite being nowhere near where people thought his numbers were going to be, that role was going to skyrocket with new quarterback Jayden Daniels drafted out of LSU.

Brown only saw 23 targets last year in just one start all season. With Dotson out of the equation, seniority would put Brown with the first shot at the WR2 role despite drafting Rice’s Luke McCaffrey, brother of Christian McCaffrey, this year as well.

Brown could see upwards of 60+ targets and could come nearly tripling all of his productivity last year if what the team and coaches have seen in him this offseason can come to fruition.

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Commanders’ first-half observations vs. Dolphins

10 quick observations from the Commanders’ first half against the Dolphins.

The Commanders trail the Dolphins 10-6 at the half.

Here are some observations of the first half:

  1. Jayden Daniels looked poised and under control. He completed 10 of 12 attempts for 78 yards. He had a nice designed run of 13 yards.
  2. Jeff Driskel showed he has some wheels as well, with a 41-yard run. Driskel has been a pleasant surprise, making plays in the pocket in both games. He completed 7 of 10 for 57 yards.
  3. Was hoping Riley Patterson would kick well tonight and move towards winning the job, but with missing two field goals in the first half, it’s most likely not going to happen.
  4. Dyami Brown has won the confidence of Daniels. Brown received three targets early, catching all three passes for 19 yards.
  5. The Commanders had two runs of 11 yards from Brian Robinson and another 11-yard run from Michael Wiley.
  6. On a 3rd and 2, Austin Ekeler followed a good inside push by the OLine; however, Andrew Wylie was called for holding, setting up a 3rd & 12. That was huge, as it basically killed the drive, forcing a field goal attempt.
  7. Defensively, Jamin Davis had a nice rep when he forced a quick pass, and also leaped to block down the pass.
  8. Frankie Luvu was in on four tackles on the first Dolphins possession. He was very active out there.
  9. Percy Butler was beaten for a touchdown but recovered to get a finger on the ball, deflecting it just enough to save a touchdown.
  10. The Commanders exhibited plenty of Kliff Kingsbury’s uptempo offense.

 

Commanders coach Dan Quinn praises WR Dyami Brown

Is Brown now Washington’s No. 2 receiver?

Washington Commanders wide receiver Dyami Brown began training camp with some on the outside wondering if he was on the roster bubble. It appears that Brown is now a roster lock three weeks into training camp and one week into the preseason.

The 2021 third-round pick has 29 career receptions entering 2024. Brown played a lot on special teams throughout his first three seasons, embracing his role. However, there appeared to be no sign of Brown’s big-play skills on offense outside of one game against Tennessee in 2022.

There were whispers that Brown had a strong offseason. Of course, you hear that about every player entering a contract year. It was clear that Brown looked like a different player once training camp began in late July. His connection with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels looks like it has the chance to be special.

Could he finally develop into the player Washington thought he’d become? Whether it’s his performance in the open practice or his catch against the New York Jets, Brown looks firmly entrenched as the Commanders’ No. 2 receiver opposite Terry McLaurin. Yes, even ahead of 2022 first-round pick Jahan Dotson.

On Monday, head coach Dan Quinn praised Brown.

“One, I thought you’ve seen some big plays from Dyami through this training camp,” Quinn said via Zach Selby of commanders.com. “There’s actually some in the spring that got my attention, to say okay what’s there? And his ability to get on top of people and stay. He’s got size, he’s got length, so there’s actually a good play in the one-on-ones that transferred into the game to go. So, I thought examples like that definitely help. Yeah, I was excited for him to make a big play like that, and I can’t speak to the past, but what I can say is from what I’ve seen here, the competing, he’s on special teams, he’s really going for it.”

Quinn loves the splash plays. What coach wouldn’t? But it’s Brown’s effort on special teams that gives the head coach and his offensive staff a stronger appreciation for Brown and his work ethic. Far too often, players in Brown’s position would pout. He never did. Even with inadequate coaching and multiple quarterback changes, Brown kept working. It’s why he’s one of the few former Ron Rivera draft picks who has quickly emerged as a favorite under the new regime.

Brown is on the verge of a career season, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.