The Commanders, having lost their third and fourth leading receivers to injury, signed receiver K.J. Osborn on Wednesday.
Osborn was available because the New England Patriots released him just one day earlier. After playing his first four NFL seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, Osborn had signed a one-year deal with the Patriots as a free agent.
Playing in only seven games, Osborn had a very unfulfilling season with the Patriots. He only caught seven receptions for 57 yards and one touchdown, averaging 8.1 yards per catch.
However, with Noah Brown and Austin Ekeler missing from Jayden Daniels’ toolbox, Commanders general manager Adam Peters wasted no time. Choosing not to simply wait and see if Jamison Crowder could make it back to health, Peters went outside the team to look for an answer.
Osborn played college ball at Buffalo and then the Miami Hurricanes. He was drafted in the fifth round (176th overall) of the 2020 NFL draft.
The Commanders really need help, and Peters and Dan Quinn are hoping Osborn can be a quick fix. He seems to have been a good teammate and locker-room guy in New England.
After releasing Osborn, Pats Coach Jarod Mayo offered this: “It was a mutual thing,” said Mayo. “Even when he was inactive, he was just a great professional, a great person, and a great leader. It just didn’t work out, and we decided to part ways.”
Osborn has also proven himself to be both courageous and unselfish. A couple of years ago, visiting friends in Austin, TX, Osborn, a passenger in an Uber, pulled over to the side of the road to assist and pull a driver out of his burning car.
Osborn is still only age 27, and with the exception of Crowder, he has more experience than the other Commanders receivers to whom the Commanders would be looking to step up in replacing Noah Brown.
In his last three seasons in Minnesota, Osborn caught 50, 60, and 48 passes for 655, 650, and 540 yards, respectively.
It is also worth noting that Osborn does have some NFL experience returning kickoffs and punts. It is not extensive, but he has returned 14 kickoffs and 11 punts.
Osborn was involved in a 2020 draft trade that saw the Vikings receive Jeff Gladney, Osborn, and D.J. Wonnum, while the 49ers received a draft pick that they used to select Brando Aiyuk.
