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Washington Redskins Player Profile 2016: DeSean Jackson

By Connor Wilcoxen

Dec 26, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Washington Redskins wide receiver DeSean Jackson (11) celebrates the victory against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. The Redskins won 38-24. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 26, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Washington Redskins wide receiver DeSean Jackson (11) celebrates the victory against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. The Redskins won 38-24. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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DeSean Jackson seems to not be living up to his expectations. But will this year be the year he looks like his old self?

When the Redskins signed DeSean Jackson in 2014, they were signing one of the most explosive payers in the NFL. He had just come off a career year with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2013. In fact, he had set career highs for receptions and receiving yards, and tied his career best for receiving touchdowns, according to ESPN. A quick glimpse at his stats with the Skins would suggest that he has not been this explosive player since he got to Washington.

In his past two seasons in Washington, Jackson has caught 86 balls for 1,697 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also has not played a full season with the Skins yet. Jackson missed one game in 2014, and then only played in 10 games last season because of a hamstring injury. Jackson has had to deal with quarterback questions along with his injury concerns during his time with the Redskins.

Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /

I think that this year, Jackson is primed to have a fantastic season.

For starters, the Redskins know who their starting quarterback is going to be for (hopefully) the entire season. Knowing who he’ll be catching balls from during the regular season has helped Jackson work with Kirk Cousins during the offseason to get used to him. This means that during the regular season, Jackson should be very comfortable with Cousins and there should be chemistry.

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The next reason why Jackson should have a big year this season is actually a weakness for the Redskins’ team as a whole. Since the Redskins have a very inexperienced and unproven group of running backs, they will most likely look to Cousins a lot to throw the ball. This is huge for Jackson because, when healthy, he is known for being a threat downfield. In fact, according to NFL.com, Jackson has been in the top two on the Redskins for the longest reception of the season in 2014 and 2015. The team will look for him to be the guy that makes the big play this year, and he is used to that.

In contrast, arguably the strongest part of this Redskins roster is its receiving corps. The Redskins have one of the best group of receivers in the NFL. This is going to help Jackson tremendously. Since defenses will have a lot of potential pass catchers to worry about, they will be unable to focus on one receiver because if they do, then that could free up another to have a big game. The fact that defenses will have many players to focus on will give Jackson many opportunities to sneak by secondaries and have lots of big plays.

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Overall, I believe that it’s time for Jackson to have another huge year. He is 29 so he’s nearing the end of his prime, and injuries have been a problem for him. But he knows his quarterback, should get targeted a lot, and he is surrounded by a strong group of guys. As long as he can stay healthy, then we should see a lot of classic deep throws to Jackson, and that explosiveness that has been lacking.

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