Redskins must consider bringing Maurice Harris up to the 53-man roster

Maurice Harris was one of the more surprising Redskins cuts prior to the 2017 season. They should consider promoting him from the practice squad in the near future.

So far in 2017, the Washington Redskins receivers have not been quite as good as initially anticipated. Granted, there were a lot of concerns about losing both Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson in free agency, but the team seemed to be confident in their potential replacements. Terrelle Pryor, signed over from the Cleveland Browns, was supposed to become the team’s No. 1 receiver. Meanwhile, former first rounder Josh Doctson was set to be a starter and finally live up to his potential. Things have not gone as planned.

Through two games, the Redskins can’t be too happy with Pryor’s production. Pryor had a solid opening week against the Eagles, but he had two crucial drops on a couple of big plays. He demonstrated chemistry with Kirk Cousins in Week 1, but in Week 2 they weren’t on the same page. Pryor had another key drop and was unable to get open enough against the Rams defense. He simply doesn’t look consistent, and he may not have a rapport with Cousins until the midseason mark.

Meanwhile, Doctson has not caught a single pass in two contests. Doctson has been dealing with the lingering effects of a hamstring injury suffered in early August, but he has done little to inspire hope among the team’s coaching staff. Jay Gruden hasn’t trusted Doctson and has instead opted to play lesser talents like Ryan Grant at the receiver position. The team has also utilized their strong tight end depth as well, but still, Doctson has been a major disappointment and looks like a bust.

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With all that said, the Redskins have to consider making a move to get an extra receiver on the roster. They only have five players at the position, and it may behoove them to add another player who could possibly make an impact. The team has a couple of candidates on the practice squad in Maurice Harris and Robert Davis, but Harris would definitely be the one to consider elevating.

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Harris latched on to the Redskins roster in 2016 as an undrafted rookie. He took a roster spot in place of Doctson after his fellow rookie went down for the season with an injury. Harris played his college ball at California and showed enough potential on special teams as a returner to earn a spot.

As the season went along, Harris saw some time at receiver and didn’t disappoint. He proved to be a good route runner and though he didn’t have game breaking ability, he had great size at 6-foot-3 and was a reliable target. he caught eight passes for 66 yards in limited action and looked poised for a bigger role in 2017. However, the Redskins opted only to keep five receivers on the roster and that forced Harris to be stashed on the practice squad.

Adding Harris would give the Redskins something that they don’t currently have. A reliable route runner who could be a possession receiver in the mold of Garcon. Harris is not as talented as the departed Garcon, but he could prove to be a consistent weapon for Cousins to target. That is something that the Redskins are in desperate need of right now. Consistency at wide-out.

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While Harris may not be as exciting as Davis, his fellow practice squad player, Harris offers an immediate impact to the team. If the Redskins receivers continue to have issue in Week 3, don’t be surprised to see Harris called up to the 53-man roster. That would likely mean parting with either T.J. Clemmings or Tyler Catalina, but it would be worth it to get some extra depth at the receiver position. Plus, either lineman would be likely to make it back to the Redskins practice squad anyway.

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