Ja’Corey Brooks, who has stood out over the past two days, staying long after practice is over to get more reps with Mariota and Josh Johnson pic.twitter.com/VZO4eBDmIS
— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWC) July 24, 2025
Fans seem to fall in love with one roster hopeful every summer. It’s not just in Washington, but in the other 31 NFL cities, too. Two days into 2025 training camp, we’ve identified that guy for the Commanders: undrafted wide receiver Ja’Corey Brooks.
On the first day of training camp, Brooks caught multiple touchdowns. He proved on Day 2 that it was no fluke, doing it again. We’ve named Brooks a standout on each of the first two days of camp.
A quick look at Washington’s receiver roster we can presume that these five players are locks to make the 53-man roster: Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel, Luke McCaffrey, Jaylin Lane and Noah Brown. The Commanders will likely keep six, maybe seven, wide receivers. That means Brooks is competing for one or two spots against veterans such as Chris Moore, K.J. Osborn and Michael Gallup.
Does the 6-foot-3, 195-pound Brooks have a legit shot? Yes, he does.
He also has the right mindset.
“I just want to take it one day at a time,” Brooks said, via Zach Selby of commanders.com. “Stack days and stack plays. I ain’t…getting too overhyped or underhyped. Just staying neutral with it.”
Brooks is taking advantage of every opportunity to learn from veteran teammates and coaches.
The true test for Brooks will be the preseason games. Can he repeat this type of success against other teams? Washington will want to see Brooks play as much as possible in the preseason, going up against starting players and players scrapping to make the 53 just like him. Another area where Brooks must stand out is special teams. If you make the roster as the No. 6 or No. 7 receiver, you’ll be playing special teams. And we don’t mean returning kicks or punts. Brooks will need to show he’s not a liability in kickoff coverage.
Brooks can play. He began his career at Alabama and had 39 receptions for 674 yards (17.3 YPC) and eight touchdowns as a sophomore. After not starting in his junior year, he transferred to Louisville and earned first-team All-ACC honors by catching 61 passes for 1,013 yards (16.6) and nine touchdowns.
It’s reasonable to say that Brooks should have been drafted. However, he’s not known as a burner, but unlike some tall receivers, he actually plays to his size. Brooks is excellent when the ball is in the air and understands body positioning. There’s a reason he makes so many big plays. Quarterbacks trust him.
Brooks has already developed quite a following among Washington fans. It’s safe to say he’ll be everyone’s favorite underdog until cutdown day.