There are many who are calling on the Washington Redskins to add receiver help this offseason. While that is a necessity, adding Jarvis Landry may not help as much as one would initially think.
The 2017 season was not a very good one for the Redskins receivers. After losing DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon to free agency, the team was expected to be able to avoid skipping a beat by making some acquisitions and promoting a young player with upside from within. Signing Terrelle Pryor and getting Josh Doctson back from injury was going to allow the team to seamlessly replace the departed duo. Well, it didn’t work out that way.
Pryor never developed chemistry with Kirk Cousins before going on Injured Reserve halfway through the season with an ankle malady. Given that he was on a one-year deal, it’s unlikely that he will return. Meanwhile, Doctson had an up-and-down season that was characterized by key drops that cost the team a few touchdowns and possibly a win. In addition to this, Jamison Crowder regressed as the opposing defenses were able to key in on him more in the passing game.
In the 2018 offseason, the Redskins clearly need to find some more help for their receiving corps. They have some decent depth guys, if they’re willing to use them, and it’s still possible that Doctson can break out in his third season. But, to truly field a competitive passing offense, the team will have to find a true No. 1 receiver, especially if Cousins walks.
That said, many have pointed to Jarvis Landry as a potential solution on the free agent market. Landry has spent his first four NFL seasons with the Miami Dolphins, but he is likely to hit the market as the Dolphins have been reluctant to pay him what he believes he is worth. For that reason, it is expected that he will land elsewhere this offseason as the Dolphins don’t value him as much as the rest of the league.
In the event that he does, indeed, hit the open market as expected, Landry will garner a lot of interest. The Redskins will be among the teams that will be interested in Landry, but signing him may actually not be a great idea.
The case against Jarvis Landry
There’s no denying that Landry is a talented NFL wide receiver. In his first four NFL seasons, he has 400 catches for 4,038 yards and 22 touchdowns. He’s also a great return specialist and he’s a high volume pass catcher. He led the league in receptions this past year with 112 despite working with Jay Cutler, Matt Moore, and David Fales at quarterback. That’s a fairly impressive feat.
The main problem with bringing in Landry is that he’s a bit too similar to Jamison Crowder. Both guys tend to play in the slot a lot and neither is a perfect fit as an outside receiver. Granted, both are capable of functioning outside, but they are most effective when working the middle of the field. For that reason, having Landry on the roster as a top slot option may be a bit redundant, as it would take away from Crowder’s potential effectiveness. And playing him outside could work, but he’s not as proven there.
Also, it’s worth noting that Landry is probably going to get paid a lot of money this offseason. Given his high volume of production and the desperate need for certain receiving corps across the NFL, Landry will definitely command an eight-figure salary and could receive a boatload of money.
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Consider this. DeSean Jackson, a 1,000 yard receiver with great speed and playmaking ability but on the down swing of his career, signed a three year, $33.5 million deal last offseason to join the Buccaneers as a No. 2 receiver. Considering that Landry could be a possible No. 1 wide-out, albeit out of the slot for the most part, he will almost certainly command more money on the open market.
The most recent receiver contracts inked, Davante Adams and Alshon Jeffery, each saw the players get four year deals with $14.5 million and $13 million annually as expected. Both are No. 1 options for their respective teams, and that seems to be the market that Landry would fit into. A team desperate for receiver help will likely give him a comparable deal. The teams that come to mind are the Chicago Bears and Arizona Cardinals.
Because of the investment needed to acquire Landry and his fit on the roster with Crowder, it might be best for the Redskins to stay away from Landry. There are some other quality, young receivers that the team could take a chance on in the open market. Allen Robinson and Sammy Watkins come to mind as options, and both may agree to short term, “prove it” deals as Robinson was hurt for all of 2017 and Watkins had merely a decent year in the Rams dynamic offense.
The case for Jarvis Landry
Of course, it’s also entirely fair to see Landry as a potential weapon for the Redskins. Perhaps adding Landry and having Crowder would allow the team to move their receivers around more and run more complex route patterns to confuse opposing defenses. Jay Gruden could design some special packages for the duo and that could end up working very well.
Also, it’s worth noting that just the sheer volume of catches that Landry has made in his NFL career is astounding. He averages 100 catches a year, which is borderline unfathomable. And as crazy as this sounds, he is still only 25 years old, so not only will he likely keep up at this pace, it’s possible that he could improve as well.
While the most receiver free agent acquisitions at the receiver spot, Terrelle Pryor and Brian Quick, didn’t work out too well, that’s no reason not to target Landry. Landry has significantly more experience at the position that Pryor and he has also seen much more playing time than Quick. So, while that recency bias may poison the minds of fans, in regards to signing a veteran receiver, it shouldn’t. Landry is far different than both of those players and would be an immediate upgrade.
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And of course, Landry’s ability in the return game cannot go unrecognized. Landry has done very well to consistently generate yards on punt returns, and that could allow the team to move the fumble-prone Crowder out of that role. So, he offers more value than just as another slot receiver, so that does have to be taken into account.
At the end of the day, having Landry could work out very well, provided that he could co-exist with Crowder. If the team is confident that having both wouldn’t be an issue, they could target Landry in free agency. And even if they believe co-existing would be a problem, it’s possible that they could look to sign Landry and move on from Crowder, though that would be a far less likely scenario than just keeping Crowder.
Verdict
There’s no doubt that Landry has upside. There’s no doubt that Landry is a proven player. But at the end of the day, his fit in the Redskins offense with Crowder is just too much of a question mark to warrant making him a top target in free agency. The amount of money he is going to get isn’t worth the questionable fit.
The Redskins will still have a lot of options to consider on the open market in 2018. Robinson and Watkins are two potential No. 1 guys who could really work out for the team. There are some other veteran options, like Jordan Matthews or Willie Snead, who could be worth a flyer too as a potential No. 2 guy.
And if the free agent market is too expensive, there will be some decent options available in the first few rounds of the draft. Though this class isn’t deep on receiving talent, guys like Courtland Sutton, Equanimeous St. Brown, and Simmie Cobbs could all be options on the first three days of the draft. So, keep an eye on them in the pre-draft process.
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It’s still possible that Landry could work out. By in this analyst’s opinion, the risks outweigh the rewards. It will be interesting to see what teams end up being in the hunt for Landry. It wouldn’t be overwhelmingly surprising to hear the Redskins mentioned, but at the end of the day, expect them to look elsewhere to find a top wide-out for their offense.