For Redskins, it’s too early to write the book on Josh Doctson

The panic button has once again been slapped by one, or two, or hundreds of fans, in the wake of Josh Doctson’s slow start to 2017. But is the criticism just for the Redskins’ 2016 first-round pick?

Yes, one would expect a former first-round pick receiver to be productive when healthy. And Josh Doctson has not lived up to the expectations he carried throughout the offseason. Perhaps some of the blame should be on the coaches, who may have overstepped their bounds talking him up in training camp. The rest of the offense may be just as guilty. The linemen for their poor pass blocking, Kirk Cousins for his slow start.

And yes, maybe Doctson is partly to blame for his own early lack of success. But the No. 1 overused quote in the past week, or close to it, has to be “Josh Doctson is a bust”. And for now, it simply isn’t true. It’s too early to write the book on Doctson. There’s still plenty of season left to be played.

It isn’t as if Doctson hasn’t been playing. The TCU product recorded 29 snaps against the Rams, good for almost half of the team’s total offensive plays. He was targeted once in the end zone by an errant fade that got away from him. Doctson saw plenty of playing time. He just didn’t see any action.

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While fans are quick to blame this on Doctson himself, and label him a bust, one would be wise to remember how the Redskins’ passing game has fared in the first two games of the season. In Week 1, Cousins was inaccurate, and although Doctson saw 20 snaps, he likely wasn’t to gather any receptions. In Week 2, there were entire drives where the offense didn’t throw the ball once. I’m no expert, but that’s not a good recipe for production in the passing game. In the end, Cousins logged 18 completions for 179 yards. It wasn’t in the game plan on Sunday to go to Doctson. Cousins simply managed the game.

As Cousins finds his rhythm, as he usually does by Week 3 or 4, look for Doctson’s role to increase. Doctson was drafted because he can do it all, but he possesses an exciting ability to make the circus catch. Fans often dispute that we haven’t seen any of that from Doctson this year. But we haven’t seen Cousins throw any deep passes, either.

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It’s far too early to write the book on Josh Doctson. He’s a talented player who was believed by many experts to be one of the best, if not the best receiver in the 2016 NFL Draft. But receivers don’t produce without their quarterback. Once Cousins finds his groove, and as the offense seeks a healthy balance, expect Doctson to become a bigger part of this offense.