Rumor: Redskins want receiver upgrade, ‘big splash’ mentioned

The Washington Redskins have a need at receiver, and apparently, they are looking to find an upgrade. According to JP Finlay, the term “big splash” has been thrown around.

It’s just a rumor. Let’s not get too excited yet. But, it seems that the Redskins are going to try and get an upgrade at receiver. And it could end up being a big one.

The Redskins have minimal talent at the receiver position right now, and it’s something that they need to address in the offseason. As it stands, Josh Doctson and Paul Richardson are their top receiving options. Doctson has disappointed so far during his career with Richardson was injured for most of last season. To make their receiving corps work, they really need a No. 1 receiver.

That’s why there is cause for some excitement after NBC Sports Washington’s JP Finlay tweeted this late on Wednesday night.

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In an offseason where Antonio Brown and Odell Beckham Jr. have already been traded, a big splash at the Redskins’ biggest position of weakness is surely enticing. Of course, this is just a rumor, and it’s possible that they could target an option in free agency. But if they do make a big splash, it could fix their biggest issue on offense.

There aren’t a lot of receivers on the market right now that inspire a lot of hope. Golden Tate is an interesting option, but he’s not really a No. 1 receiver at this stage in his career. So, if the team is looking at trades, there is one big name to keep an eye on.

With the Cincinnati Bengals turning over a new leaf and Zac Taylor coming on as head coach, the team could be looking to start a rebuild. After all, they haven’t found playoff success any time recently, and Andy Dalton has just been average at best for the most part. So, if they try and rebuild, now might be the time to move on from A.J. Green.

The Bengals haven’t yet indicated that they want to trade Green, but if they decide to go for a full-out rebuild, they will have little reason to keep the 31-year-old on board, especially if he’s on a one-year deal.. He is set to have a cap hit of roughly $15 million and would only cost the Bengals $3 million in dead cap if traded. Meanwhile, Green would slide right into the remaining cap space the ‘Skins have, but they could restructure his deal via an extension to make that more palatable.

Green is coming off an injury-shortened campaign, but he still logged 46 catches for 694 yards and six touchdowns in nine games. And realistically, he barely played in one of those outings. If you extrapolated his numbers over a 16-game slate (assuming he played in eight full games last season), you would get a player with 92 catches, 1,388 yards, and 12 touchdowns. That’s much better than anything Washington had at the position last year.

This is all just speculation. The Redskins could be targeting any receiver. Or, this could have just been mentioned and there may not be a high-quality option on the market. But, perhaps the ‘Skins could offer the Bengals a pick and a player to get Green and fix their receiver woes.

Would a third-round pick and Josh Doctson maybe get the job done? Or would a second-round pick alone do the trick? The Bengals may have a price on Green, and if they can get him to sign an extension with a team he’s traded to, there’s a chance he could get them a strong asset to help them rebuild their team.

Though this is all entirely speculative, it would make sense. Jay Gruden did coach Green, after all, and he would fit the offense right away. Still, it remains to be seen if Green is even on the market, so this is more of a big game of connect-the-dots. The team could be eyeing other potential candidates that we don’t yet know about, too. But, if a “big splash” is to happen, Green would seemingly be the most logical candidate.

We’ll see if anything comes of this desire for a receiver upgrade. For now, it’s just a small bit of intrigue for Redskins fans to wonder about in the coming weeks.