The ideal way to build a WR room in 2026

Summary of The ideal way to build a WR room in 2026

by The Athletic

1h 21m•July 23, 2026
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Overview of The ideal way to build a WR room in 2026

Robert Mays and Matt Harmon debate how NFL receiver rooms should be built in 2026, and whether the old “basketball team” model — a mix of body types and roles — still applies in a league shaped by condensed formations, motion, heavy personnel, and more flexible receiver usage. Their core argument: receiver construction is now more about skill-set fit and deployment than rigid labels like X, Z, or slot.

Main Takeaways

  • The old archetype model is fading

    • Teams no longer need a classic “big X / movable slot / complementary Z” setup in the traditional sense.
    • Modern offenses blur those lines with motion, condensed splits, and pre/post-snap movement.

  • A true alpha receiver still matters

    • Even in a more fluid league, having a featured passing-game centerpiece like Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, Puka Nacua, Amon-Ra St. Brown, or JSN gives an offense a clear identity.
    • But that player should usually be moved around the formation, not left stationary outside on every snap.

  • The second and third receivers matter more than ever

    • If your top target isn’t a super-elite focal point, you need a room that can collectively approximate one.
    • The best supporting cast usually includes:
      • a perimeter man-beater
      • a reliable movement/inside option
      • a vertical or explosive threat
      • and increasingly, a tight end or back who adds YAC value

  • Heavy personnel changes how you build the room

    • With more 12 personnel and condensed looks, the “traditional slot receiver” is less essential.
    • Offenses now want players who can win from multiple alignments and create explosive plays even in tighter formations.

Receiver Traits That Matter Most in 2026

1. Movement and alignment flexibility

  • The ideal WR1 should be deployable across the formation.
  • This makes defenses declare coverage later and makes the receiver harder to erase.

2. Man-coverage winning ability

  • Harmon strongly emphasizes that beating man coverage still matters, even in a zone-heavy league.
  • In critical downs, red zone situations, and playoff football, man-beating ability remains a separator.

3. Spatial awareness and YAC instincts

  • Underrated traits include:
    • route-to-runner transition
    • understanding leverage
    • finding space after the catch
    • turning catches into extra hidden yards
  • This is a major reason players like Jack Bech and Amon-Ra St. Brown are so valuable.

4. Vertical slot / in-breaking versatility

  • The modern slot is often less about the “bunny hop” possession player and more about guys who can threaten vertically or on sharp breaking routes.
  • Think: Josh Downs, Jalen Noel, Jaden Reed, Tank Dell-type usage.

5. Complementary body types still help, but body type alone is overrated

  • Harmon argues that teams and fans still over-index on size.
  • What matters more is whether a player’s skill set fits the role, even if the body type doesn’t look “traditional.”

Teams and Players Used as Examples

Strongly constructed receiver rooms

  • Indianapolis Colts

    • Best example of complementary construction:
      • Alec Pierce as the vertical X
      • Michael Pittman Jr. as the bigger Z / inside-outside presence
      • Josh Downs as the movement slot
      • plus Tyler Warren adding the missing YAC/playmaking element

  • Houston Texans

    • A room built around Nico Collins with complementary skill sets around him.
    • The discussion centered on whether Collins should be moved more often to maximize the offense.

  • Detroit Lions

    • Amon-Ra St. Brown plus a role for Isaac TeSlaa and Jameson Williams illustrates how a complementary room can create better usage for everyone.
    • TeSlaa’s presence helps free St. Brown and Williams into better roles.

  • New York Jets

    • Harmon liked the blend of Garrett Wilson, a classic X, and complementary pieces that can blur roles and create movement-based advantages.

Players discussed as useful archetypes

  • JSN — a modern, route-running-driven WR1
  • Drake London — a classic X who can be weaponized more creatively
  • Emeka Egbuka — likely best as a movement/big-slot style player
  • Quentin Johnston — discussed as a surprising complementary fit after an ugly rookie year
  • Jack Bech — a power slot / YAC-aware player who can quietly add value
  • Jalen Waddle — expected to be used more off-ball and vertically in a new environment
  • Isaac TeSlaa / Xavier Restrepo-type players — examples of role players who matter more for formation structure than box-score stats

What Has Become Less Important

Traditional size profiling

  • “Big receiver = X receiver” is increasingly outdated.
  • Players like Cooper Kupp, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Zay Flowers, and JSN show that elite receiver value no longer maps cleanly onto old body-type assumptions.

Rigid slot/outside labels

  • The old buckets — slot, X, Z — only explain so much now.
  • A player can function as a “slot” in one concept and a boundary separator in another.

Pure possession slots

  • The league doesn’t need as many short-area, low-adoption “bunny hop” slots because offenses are more willing and able to create explosives elsewhere.

What Is Underrated Now

Man coverage skill

  • Still one of the clearest indicators of receiver value.
  • Especially important when the defense decides to load up on your best player.

Formation influence

  • Even non-box-score receivers matter if they alter where the defense sets up.
  • A player like Isaac TeSlaa or Xavier Thomas may not be a volume target, but can change how the rest of the offense functions.

The “movement Z” / “power slot”

  • Players who can play inside, outside, on the move, and on the vertical plane are increasingly valuable.
  • This is the role where many of today’s best complementary receivers live.

Bigger Strategic Conclusion

The ideal WR room in 2026 is less about assembling a balanced cast of traditional archetypes and more about building a layered, flexible ecosystem:

  • one receiver who can be the offensive center
  • one or two complementary players with clear but varied skill sets
  • a receiver who can win on the perimeter
  • a movement player who can create leverage and space
  • and often a tight end or back who fills the missing YAC role

The big idea: don’t ask what a player looks like — ask what he does, where he wins, and how he changes the rest of the offense.

Notable Insight

“The way offenses are structured now has changed so much that the correct receiver group is less about positions and more about puzzle pieces fitting together.”

This episode argues that modern receiver construction should be judged by function, flexibility, and fit, not by outdated positional labels.