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Redskins Depth Chart: Analyzing the team’s receiving corps

By Jacob Camenker

ARLINGTON, TX - NOVEMBER 30: Josh Doctson #18 of the Washington Redskins at AT&T Stadium on November 30, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX - NOVEMBER 30: Josh Doctson #18 of the Washington Redskins at AT&T Stadium on November 30, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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LANDOVER, MD – DECEMBER 24: Wide receiver Josh Doctson #18 of the Washington Redskins scores a touchdown against the Denver Broncos in the fourth quarter at FedExField on December 24, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD – DECEMBER 24: Wide receiver Josh Doctson #18 of the Washington Redskins scores a touchdown against the Denver Broncos in the fourth quarter at FedExField on December 24, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /

No. 2 Receiver: WR Josh Doctson

Across from Richardson, it seems highly likely that the other starter will be Josh Doctson. He will reprise the role he was supposed to take on last year: the No. 2 receiver position. While Doctson still has yet to live up to his draft billing, he did show signs of improvement last year.

After spending most of his rookie year hurt and only logging two catches, Doctson played in all 16 games during his second season. He didn’t start in all of them, making way for Ryan Grant early in the season, but Doctson did prove to be valuable. He recorded 35 catches for 502 yards and scored six touchdowns. He flashed solid starting ability at times, but he was also marred by problems at times.

Notably, Doctson dropped a lot of passes that he was able to get his hands on. There were a few times that he had a potential touchdown in his hands and he wasn’t able to reel it in. The most egregious case of this came against the Broncos when he dropped a pass that was thrown perfectly into a window and he just couldn’t hang on. That’s something that cannot continue if Doctson wants to be an effective NFL player.

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    • It also may help Doctson to try and become a possession receiver and focus more on route running and physicality, as I wrote back in January.

    "Doctson’s 6-foot-2 frame will allow him to have a size advantage on most of his opponents. The average height for a corner in the NFL is usually about 5-foot-11, so that will give Doctson three inches or so on some of his matchups. Either way, Doctson has to learn to use his body to his advantage. Ideally, he could run downfield and body up against defensive backs when he can’t get separation. If Doctson can learn to run step for step with corners and then fight for the ball thrown his way to make the catch, he will have a much greater chance of sticking around in the NFL."

    Should Doctson be able to do that, he will have a chance to become a solid complement to Richardson. And that’s exactly why the Redskins elected to bring Richardson in.

    This is a make-or-break year for Doctson. He has to play well or this may be his last chance to win a starting job. It will be interesting to see how he looks during the preseason and if he can develop any chemistry with Alex Smith.

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