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Redskins Mailbag: No. 2 corner, critical wide receivers, Alex Smith, and more

By Jacob Camenker

CARSON, CA - DECEMBER 10: Vernon Davis #85 of the Washington Redskins celebrates his touchodwn with Jeremy Sprinkle #87 to trail 10-6 to the Los Angeles Chargers after missing the extra point during the second quarter at StubHub Center on December 10, 2017 in Carson, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
CARSON, CA - DECEMBER 10: Vernon Davis #85 of the Washington Redskins celebrates his touchodwn with Jeremy Sprinkle #87 to trail 10-6 to the Los Angeles Chargers after missing the extra point during the second quarter at StubHub Center on December 10, 2017 in Carson, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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SEATTLE, WA – OCTOBER 29: Wide receiver Paul Richardson #10 of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates a touchdown during the first quarter of the game against the Houston Texans at CenturyLink Field on October 29, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA – OCTOBER 29: Wide receiver Paul Richardson #10 of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates a touchdown during the first quarter of the game against the Houston Texans at CenturyLink Field on October 29, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images) /

The critical receiver

TheRealityIs: Which wide receiver, if injured, would leave the biggest gap?

The team has three firmly entrenched starters who seem likely to see a bulk of the playing time. So, the answer will obviously be one of them. But to get to that answer, I’m going to go through a brief comparative analysis of the Redskins receiver depth chart.

Let’s start with Josh Doctson. The third-year man from TCU is a big-bodied guy who figures to serve as a red zone threat and a No. 2 receiver. He struggled at times with drops and separation last year, but both of those issues are fixable. If Doctson gets hurt, and he has been dealing with an AC joint sprain this camp, the Redskins have a lot of comparable replacements and big guys like Robert Davis, Simmie Cobbs, and Cam Sims. So, it doesn’t seem like Doctson is entirely irreplaceable.

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In the slot, we’ll have Jamison Crowder. Crowder disappointed a bit last year, but with more talent surrounding him, there’s a chance that he will improve and could break 1,000 yards. Crowder is versatile enough to play inside and outside, return punts, and occasionally will run the ball on a reverse.

If Crowder were to get hurt, Trey Quinn would be the logical replacement. Quinn is an inside/outside player who can return punts and is a solid route runner. He doesn’t have great hands, but he can work on that. Maurice Harris would also be a candidate to replace Crowder, so there is depth there for sure.

That leaves one player. Paul Richardson. The free agent signing is going to be the new DeSean Jackson, but he could do more than the current Buccaneer did for Washington. Richardson has great body control and can make contested catches. He also can take the top off an opposing defense at any moment.

Richardson is the one receiver the Redskins can’t really replace. Simply put, they don’t have a player that has the same type of speed as him. While Richardson may not end up being the team’s No. 1 receiver, his skill set provides a lot of value that can’t be easily replicated by the other players the Redskins have.

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