Washington Redskins: 15 best free agent acquisitions of all-time

The wide receiver run continues and ends with Henry Ellard, a player who gave the Redskins excellent value in the twilight of his productive career.

For the overwhelming majority of his career, Ellard was a member of the old Los Angeles Rams; from 1983 to 1993, in fact. After spending more than a decade on the West Coast, resetting the Rams receiving record board, Ellard left in 1993 at 33 years old when the two sides couldn’t agree to a new deal.

As a free agent, Ellard had to go to the other side of the North American craton to get another chance. Although most teams aged him in geologic time, he found that the Redskins gave him a chance to be young again.

Ellard doubled down on his early career success in Washington, adding three more 1,000-yard seasons to his résumé, while averaging18.2 yards per catch with the Redskins.

Despite joining the Redskins just after their Super Bowl era, Ellard made an impression. In 1994, he was second in the NFL to Jerry Rice alone in receiving. He didn’t win the Redskins championships, but Ellard fulfilled their goal in free agency. He gave them incredible value.