When the Washington Commanders lost star wide receiver Terry McLaurin to a season-ending knee injury in Week 6, many wondered who would help fill the void left by the longtime No. 1 receiver. Stefon Diggs would get his touches, but that didn’t necessarily mean an increased role. Washington wants to keep the soon-to-be-33-year-old Diggs healthy for the entire season.

Two players were expected to have a prime opportunity: Treylon Burks and rookie Antonio Williams.

Burks, 26, is in his fifth NFL season and his second in Washington. After the Tennessee Titans drafted him in the first round, they moved on in October 2025 because he couldn’t stay healthy. The Commanders gave him a chance, and he flashed. He did enough to earn a one-year deal to return in 2026.

This season, the 6-foot-2, 225-pound Burks looked a step faster. He was definitely motivated. Over the last two games since McLaurin’s injury, Burks has 11 targets, seven receptions and 147 receiving yards. Burks is showing glimpses of why he was a first-round pick in 2022.

Most importantly, Burks has earned the trust of quarterback Jayden Daniels.

“One, he’s super fast, but just his confidence,” Daniels said Wednesday when asked why Burks was finding such success on deep routes.

“You can see his confidence continue to grow. I know, just having conversations with him early on in his career, it was rough for him. And obviously it’s, where he was drafted, when he was drafted is, he has the ability to, but coming here is like a fresh start. You can just see his confidence continue to grow from OTAs until up to this point.”

Daniels wasn't done praising Burks, next, he complimented his route running.

"His stride length. He eats up ground so quickly. He has a long stride and he's, like I said, he's frequently athletic. He's fast so it's like, he puts a lot of stress on the DB, so that kind of works on his advantage and you gotta get the ball up and down for him or get the ball up early because he can probably outrun the football.”

That certainly sounds like a wide receiver that the franchise quarterback really likes and believes in.

Burks has proven he can play. Now, it's about health and consistency. If he can use the remainder of this season to show the Commanders he be a starting wide receiver and stay on the field, Washington may have landed the ultimate steal in Burks.