Redskins: Uncoiling the layers of the Josh Doctson dilemma

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CHICAGO, IL – APRIL 28: (L-R) Josh Doctson of TCU holds up a jersey with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after being picked #22 overall by the Washington Redskins during the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University on April 28, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images) /

The NFL is all about investment. And there’s a looming feeling that the Redskins investment in Josh Doctson may not pay off in earnest.

The Washington Redskins drafted Josh Doctson No. 21 overall in the 2016 NFL Draft. The pick was viewed as future insurance, as the Redskins were slated to lose one or both of Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson in the next offseason (they lost both).

When he was drafted by the Redskins, Josh Doctson inherited two titles: Successor to productive veterans, and first-round pick. Naturally, the expectations for the TCU product skyrocketed, much like he did on his own college tape, snagging 50-50 balls out of the air with uncanny vertical athletic ability.

Doctson’s rookie year came and went with two receptions, one of which went for 57 yards. The then 23-year old couldn’t stay on the field, and he effectively redshirted.

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Then, his second year came. Doctson played in all sixteen games, amassing 35 receptions for 502 yards and six touchdowns. It was a moderately productive year for the pass catcher, but one that did not stave off the narratives that were beginning to form.

Now, Doctson is in his third year. And after logging five receptions for 45 yards in the Redskins’ first three games, he’s in a walking boot for an off-the-field heel injury, per J.P. Finlay. There are certain things spectators can never know; knowledge that is only disclosed to those close to the situation. But it’s at this point that the team and the outsiders all pose a similar question for the disillusioned receiver: What happens next?

The situation is not dissimilar to that of a rock in its birth stages. As time moves on, and as the rock remains idle in its crustal habitat, heat and pressure increase. Under those circumstances, observers must watch to see how the rock responds. Does it compress into a shining tabular crystal? Or does it fade into the magmatic concoction, to be born anew somewhere else?

The Josh Doctson situation is one with many layers, layers that must be uncoiled. If you’re looking for someone to tell you that he’s a bust, or that he’s soft, or that the next NFL phenom waiting to explode onto the scene, you’ve come to the wrong place. Sweeping generalizations dissuade constructive thought. The truth, as it often is, is more complex.

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