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Redskins Training Camp: Players who have helped themselves the most after Week 1

By Jacob Camenker

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 30: Jamison Crowder #80 of the Washington Redskins celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the NFL International Series game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Wembley Stadium on October 30, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 30: Jamison Crowder #80 of the Washington Redskins celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the NFL International Series game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Wembley Stadium on October 30, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images) /
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Jamison Crowder endured a disappointing 2017 campaign. He couldn’t establish himself consistently on offense, struggled as a punt returner, and generally disappointed in big moments.

Coming into a contract year and with more support around him, Crowder is expected to have a bounce-back year. The only thing that was standing in his way was the absence of Kirk Cousins, with whom he had a great rapport. There was a lot of reason to hope and expect that he would get on the same page as Alex Smith, and it appears that has been the case early in training camp.

As Jake Kring-Schreifels of Redskins.com has reported, Crowder has developed great chemistry with Smith and has looked very good through the first week of camp. Here’s what Kring-Schreifels said of Crowder in a recent piece.

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"Not to keep repeating what’s already been stated numerous times throughout the first four days of camp, but Smith looks extremely comfortable with wide receiver Jamison Crowder. He started off the first team drill grabbing about a 25-yard pass working an underneath route, made available thanks to wide receiver Josh Doctson taking a safety deep with him on a fly route on the opposite side of the line. The defense got frustrated with how open Crowder became, a running theme as Smith has hit him multiple times on quick slants and dig routes."

This is a great sign. Crowder was expected to be the No. 1 receiver for the Redskins last season, but he never ended up growing into that role. Part of the reason for that was that he was used to being surrounded by other quality receiving options like Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson, so not having as much space to operate negatively impacted him.

With Jordan Reed healthy, Paul Richardson there as a speed threat, and Josh Doctson emerging, Crowder will have enough help around him to take the pressure off for the upcoming season. The fact that he’s developing a rapport with Smith means that he could have a big season, and perhaps he will break the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career.

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