In Jedd Fisch’s playbook, the tight end position is one of quiet importance. Decker DeGraaf’s junior campaign will play a vital role in the success of the offense this fall. Receivers tend to draw the most attention, but Rashid Williams has been out of the spotlight despite his high ceiling at the position. These are the two skill-position players on Washington’s offense who are in a position to make or break the prolific upside for this group in 2026.
Skill-Position Upside in Washington’s Offense
TE Decker DeGraaf
In each of the last two seasons, Washington’s tight ends have quietly made key contributions to the offense. Each year, a tight end has finished as the third-most targeted pass-catcher on the offense. Keleki Latu had 48 targets in 2024, and DeGraaf had 40 a season ago. When you evaluate the Fisch offense over the years, a lot of attention typically gets placed on the quarterback’s versatility as well as the receivers and running backs due to the nature of his play-calling. But even going back to Fisch’s time at Arizona, a tight end had more than 50 targets in both 2022 and 2023. In terms of passing distribution, the tight end position carries significant weight in this offense.
A safety blanket with upside is one way to describe what the tight end position needs to be at Washington. Last year, of DeGraaf’s 40 targets, only 10 of them were on routes more than nine yards downfield. His average depth of target was just 5.4 yards (10th-most on team). However, DeGraaf gained 154 yards after the catch on passes of nine yards or fewer (6.2 yards after the catch per reception). On passing plays, the tight end has been a reliable, underneath option for the quarterback while not sacrificing positive yardage. DeGraaf had two touchdowns last year. One of them was a two-yard score in the red zone, and the other was a one-yard pass that he took 24 yards for a touchdown.
DeGraaf will need to maintain this level of consistency next season at the tight end position. The offense, while centered around the versatility of the quarterback position, relies heavily on a quality tight end presence. DeGraaf had three drops last season. He also had a run blocking rating of just 51.7 last year, according to Pro Football Focus. These are two areas where DeGraaf can improve heading into his true junior season. Should he take a step forward there, DeGraaf will continue to quietly serve as a catalyst for an explosive Husky offense.
WR Rashid Williams
The wide receiver room is counting on the production of Rashid Williams in 2026. With the departures of two starting wide-outs from last year’s roster, the expectation is that Williams will seamlessly become a top target this fall. That was supposed to be 2025, but injuries cut his season short after starting only the first two games.
During the spring leading up to the 2025 season, Williams was the number one receiver for every drill, every rep, and every scrimmage snap. Denzel Boston was out for the spring, which provided an excellent preview of Williams as the primary pass-catcher. He was ready, showing reliability, consistency, and play-making ability all April. Williams was the clear number two receiver entering the fall season, but he ended up with just seven targets in 2025. The year prior, as a redshirt freshman, Williams was targeted just 13 times. As such, there’s just a small sample set of Williams’ game action, and there still lies the question of whether or not his production will translate to Saturdays.
Washington added Kennesaw State transfer receiver Christian Moss to help fill Boston’s departure. Dezmen Roebuck was last season’s second-leading receiver, and Fisch expects to utilize him as the starting slot receiver this fall. Williams is easily penciled in as the other outside starter. That makes for a quality trio of starting receivers for Washington on paper. The offense just needs Williams to play to the potential he has shown on the practice field.
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