Redskins: Speed now biggest need from receiver position

With Alex Smith set to take over as the Washington Redskins starting quarterback, they are going to have to get some new weapons. Namely, they have to find some sort of speed threat for their offense.

The Redskins have already made a major splash this offseason by acquiring franchise quarterback Alex Smith from the Kansas City Chiefs. The move signaled the end of the Kirk Cousins era in Washington and has ushered in a gray area for the team. They now have Smith, and still should be competitive, but the long term questions they have at the quarterback position remain unanswered.

Still, Smith will be given the chance to hold down the job for the next five seasons, as his contract with the team runs for that amount of time. But to ensure that Smith has success, the Redskins are going to have to find some extra talent at the receiver position.

Josh Doctson showed flashes of solid No. 2 ability last year, but he’s not going to be fast enough to be a top option. Jamison Crowder is a very good slot receiver, but he shouldn’t be counted upon to play outside. Ryan Grant is a great route runner, but he’s a free agent. Even if he’s retained, the Redskins need to add a receiver with No. 1 ability. And the most important element of that will be finding a speed receiver.

More from Riggo's Rag

The one thing that the Redskins are currently lacking in their corps is a speed guy. They have plenty of slot men, route runners, and potential possession receivers. They have physicality, but that will only get a team so far. Then need to find a downfield threat in the mold of DeSean Jackson to give some more space to the short and intermediate game, which Smith loves to work. That has to be one of their top goals this offseason.

On the free agent market, there are a few intriguing options, but none would be faster than Sammy Watkins. If the Redskins like what they see out of him, they could choose to target him in order to fill that need and complement Doctson. That duo should play well outside and with Crowder in the slot, the team could have three different role players on the field and have a receiving corps that closer resembles the one they had in 2016.

In the event that the team strikes out on the free agent market, or they decide not to take a risk on another Terrelle Pryor type player, they can also try to find a guy in the draft. In Round 2, they could take a hard look at Texas A&M’s Christian Kirk, as he figures to be a speed threat at the next level. Kirk didn’t have a great final year at Texas A&M, but he has Percy Harvin-like ability and should be able to play in the slot a bit too. That could be enough to make the Redskins take him and try to open up their receiving game a bit more.

Next: 3 things Redskins can learn from Eagles

For the 2018 offseason, the Redskins have to find Smith his next Tyreek Hill. Smith needs a versatile, fast weapon to work with and a good run game to further support him. For that reason, adding playmakers at both positions should be a priority for the team, but finding a speedy receiver should be the biggest goal for the offense in the 2018 offseason.

Home/Commanders News