Evaluating The Washington Redskins Receivers For 2016
By Desmond Lee
Jamison Crowder thinks the Redskins receiving corps is the best in the league. Is he right?
The Redskins receiving corps enters Week One with a unit studded with premiere talent and quality depth. It features several sure-handed receivers, each of whom serve distinct roles in posing threats anywhere on the field.
Tight Ends
The team’s offense runs through tight end Jordan Reed, who set career bests last year with 87 receptions, 952 yards and 11 touchdowns. Reed, who is 6’2″ and 246 pounds, poses multiple mismatches for opposing defenders. Cornerbacks are either too small to match his size or linebackers are too slow to cover him.
While voters snubbed him from a Pro-Bowl invitation in 2015, others noticed his Pro-Bowl quality production. Andy Benoit of MMQB ranked Reed second among the league’s tight ends just behind Rob Gronkowski. Reed, as Benoit explained, is the “best route runner tight end” and the “most dangerous pure receiving threat in the league at his position.”
Former All-Pro Vernon Davis and Niles Paul will spell Reed this season. Davis, who is 32, has seen his production decline precipitously in the past two seasons. Since catching 13 touchdown passes in 2013, he’s caught only two in 2014 and 2015 – combined – including none last year.
Reed, as Benoit explained, is the “best route runner tight end” and the “most dangerous pure receiving threat in the league at his position”
Still, Jay Gruden believes he’s “got a lot of juice left,” citing Davis’ speed and in-line blocking ability (per Rick Snider of the Washington Post). Davis sits at second on the depth chart, but it’s uncertain what role he’ll play this season.
Paul, who missed all of 2015 with an ankle injury, is eager for a comeback year. He is by far the most versatile player in the team’s passing game.
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A converted wide receiver, Paul can catch passes off the line of scrimmage or split wide. He is a competent blocker and could play fullback, if necessary. Paul’s contributions on special teams also add to the value he offers the team.
Wide Receivers
DeSean Jackson is the position group’s most explosive player. What he lacks as a traditional route-runner, he makes up for as a game-breaker. By stretching coverages down the field, Jackson opens up opportunities for others to make plays underneath.
Jackson, however, must remain healthy and cannot miss time due to injury for his talents to matter. A strained hamstring in the opening game last year caused him to miss the first seven weeks of the season. While he was out, the passing game fared much differently than when defensive coordinators had to gameplan for him.
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Jackson, who’s in a contract year, came to camp more focused than in previous years. He added six pounds of muscle to bulk up his slender frame (per Stephen Czarda of Redskins.com). He also is working on his route tree to offer more looks for Kirk Cousins to throw to him downfield.
As Jackson is the team’s deep threat, Pierre Garcon is its blue-collar workhorse. Garcon excels at running intermediate routes to convert third downs and move the chains. Garcon uses his size – he is 216 pounds – to grind out critical yards-after-the-catch and block downfield.
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His numbers last year – 72 receptions, 777 yards, six touchdowns – were moderately productive. While they may not justify the $10.2 million cap figure Garcon carries, he is durable and is a valuable part of the short passing game that is a staple of Gruden’s system.
The team’s slot receiver is Jamison Crowder, who set a rookie franchise record with 59 receptions last year. Crowder was also the unit’s third-leading receiver with 604 yards.
His jitterbug quickness made him a favorite of Cousins to turn quick throws into larger gains. While small in stature, Crowder’s skill set is reminiscent of archetypal slot receivers like Wes Welker. Crowder’s goal this year will be to improve on the two scoring passes he had in 2015.
The Redskins selected Josh Doctson with the 22nd overall pick in this year’s draft. At 6’2″, he is the tallest wideout on staff, something which is noticeable when he stands with other receivers. His size and ability to control his body make him ideal to complement Reed as a red zone threat.
Due to a lingering Achilles issue, Doctson missed all offseason work and preseason games. The team therefore hasn’t able to gauge his transition to the pro-game and its offense yet.
The good news for him is that the Redskins don’t expect him to produce immediately. But they also want him to start contributing soon to continue his professional development.
That’s because the team ultimately views him as a replacement for either Garcon or Jackson next year. Garcon is 30 and Jackson will turn 30 this December, and both have contracts that expire this season. It’s doubtful that both will re-sign, thus making Doctson an heir apparent to a starting receiving spot in 2017.
Ryan Grant and Rashad Ross round out the Redskins receiving corps. Like Garcon and Jackson, Grant is the route-running possession receiver and Ross the deep pass catcher.
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Each, however, must continue to improve on their game. Grant is a precise route-runner, but needs to gain greater separation from cornerbacks. Ross, on the other hand, must show that he can run routes involving something other than straight-line speed.
The League’s Best Receiving Corps?
These receivers form a confident unit as they enter the new season. Earlier this year, Crowder stirred a bit of controversy by stating that the Redskins had the best receivers in the League (Per Scott Allen of the Washington Post). With all the issues facing the team’s ground game, they very well may need to be. And if they are, Crowder will undoubtedly be a critical factor in their success.