The Washington Commanders kept only five receivers on their initial 53-man roster Tuesday. Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel, Noah Brown, Jaylin Lane and Luke McCaffrey are Washington’s receivers. It’s an excellent mix of starpower and potential.

But what happens if someone gets injured? Brown has spent all of training camp recovering from an injury he suffered at minicamp in June. He did work out on the field before last weekend’s final preseason game and looked healthy. By all accounts, he’ll be ready for Week 1.

What about McLaurin? McLaurin is an Ironman, but spent the entire summer in a contract squabble with the team. He’s 100% back now, but should Washington worry about his “football shape,” at least early in the season? Then, there is Samuel. He’s had a phenomenal summer, but has missed time in each of his six NFL seasons.

You can bet Commanders GM Adam Peters will look hard at released wide receivers, but one stands out above the rest: Malachi Corley.

The 65th overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft was cut by the New York Jets before his second season began. To call Corley disappointing would be an understatement. He played in nine games as a rookie, catching three passes for 16 yards.

Why would anyone claim a player with such minimal production?

Corley had an embarrassing rookie campaign. However, the regime that traded up for him was fired. This summer, he was behind several others. So, the Jets moved on.

The 5-foot-11, 215-pound Corley was a highly productive college player and is known by the nickname “YAC King.” Sounds a lot like Deebo Samuel. In fact, Corley was often compared to Samuel coming out of Western Kentucky last year. Corley is an excellent athlete, physically strong, who plays like a running back with the ball in his hands.

While production was an issue last season, maturity was a concern as well. Corley reportedly didn’t want to play special teams as a rookie because he felt like he should have been a starting receiver. That attitude is unlikely to take him far in the NFL.

But perhaps Corley learned a lesson. Perhaps he needed to land in a more stable organization. Remarkably, the Washington Commanders are now regarded as a stable organization. Corley could come to Washington, learn behind respected veterans like McLaurin and Samuel, until he was ready to earn his snaps. He’d have to play special teams, of course.

This all may be for nothing. A team with a higher waiver claim may decide to take a chance on Corley. However, some teams may be deterred by his lack of success and perceived attitude issues. If Washington has a chance to grab Corley, why not?

Sure, there’s a chance last season was a preview of his NFL career. What risk does Washington take by taking a chance? Let’s say he’s motivated by a change of scenery and a second chance. Then the Commanders could prepare for life after Samuel with a Samuel clone.

This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Commanders should pursue ex-Jets 3rd-round pick for WR depth