Five Redskins players you can’t forget heading into 2019

No. 2 – Redskins WR Paul Richardson

All the buzz is surrounding rookies Terry McLaurin and Kelvin Harmon at the wide receiver position, and with good reason. McLaurin can be a versatile offensive threat, and Harmon has the potential to be a reliable weapon on the boundary.

Take a step back and look at the Redskins entire receiving core, however, and the opportunity for the aforementioned rookies becomes clouded. The position is, despite its lack of top-end talent, very cluttered.

Josh Doctson and Trey Quinn return from 2018. They join McLaurin and Harmon, as do developmental receivers Robert Davis and Cam Sims. In actuality, it’s unlikely that Davis and Sims carve out expanded roles this season, but they’ve become fan favorites due to their potential, and at the very least, they can’t be ignored. Jehu Chesson also enters the roster conversation, for his special teams ability, and Brian Quick could provide needed veteran depth.

That’s eight names right there, and we haven’t even mentioned Paul Richardson yet. The Redskins signed Richardson to a five-year, $40 million deal just last offseason, with hopes of adding dynamic speed and big play ability to their offense. He showed flashes of fulfilling that purpose over seven games, but he couldn’t find a way to stay healthy.

Now, just one year into his contract, Richardson still has some viability to the Redskins. It’s unclear if he’ll start in 2019, but he has the type of game speed that few Redskins receivers have, and with an $8 million yearly paycheck on the way, the Redskins have no choice but to see if he can stay healthy and produce. With a quarterback who could be more willing to take deep shots, Richardson might have a chance to do so. With his speed, he can’t be forgotten, and perhaps with Richardson and McLaurin flanking the defense, separation could be a common asset in 2019.