How Chris Thompson has become the Redskins most reliable offensive weapon
Thompson has taken over as receiving option
Much was made of the losses that the Redskins suffered at the wide receiver position during the 2017 offseason. And rightfully so. In the span of just a few days, the team lost two 1,000-plus yard receivers and had very little hope to replace either of them in full.
DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the San Francisco 49ers respectively. The Redskins didn’t make a major effort to re-sign either, and that left many wondering who the top options for Kirk Cousins would be. Many expected Josh Doctson to step into a bigger role at first. Then, following the signing of Terrelle Pryor, it was presumed that the duo would be the top two receivers. A lot has changed since that time.
In three regular season games working with Cousins, Pryor has not looked very good. The duo has not been on the same page at all, and Pryor has also struggled with drops. He was supposed to be their No. 1 receiver, but with the lacking chemistry and his poor hands, that has not happened.
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With Doctson, the concerns began when he suffered a hamstring injury in early August and didn’t look right in the preseason. He was held without a catch until the second half of the Sunday night victory against Oakland, but the catch was impressive. It was a 52-yard touchdown that saw him beat a man, come back to the ball, and fight his way into the end zone. Still, he has been inconsistent, fragile, and he has not yet won the trust of Jay Gruden.
Because of all this, Thompson has become the top receiving option for the Redskins so far in 2017. In just three games, he has totaled 231 yards on 13 catches. That puts him on pace for over 1,200 receiving yards. He has proven to be the explosive playmaker who has replaced the departed Jackson. It’s not Pryor. It’s not Doctson. It’s just the 5-foot-8 running back who has spent five seasons going under the radar in Washington.
Really, the reason that Thompson has done so well is his ability to run after the catch. A lot of the balls that Cousins has found Thompson on have been in pockets of space where the running back can make men miss. That has allowed him to use his excellent speed to find the seam in the defense and accelerate for huge gains.
It’s definitely odd to see Thompson as the team’s leading receiver, but this could last a while. He looks like a legitimate weapon and the Redskins have to be happy that he is hitting his stride when they most needed him.