It can be hard to emerge from a crowded position group, but when no one stands out, there is opportunity to pounce on.
In the Washington Redskins 2019 receiving core, there exists this problem. It is still early, but on the depth chart, no one stands out. There are personal favorites across the board. Depending on who you talk to, you may find avid believers in Cam Sims. You may find fans who fawn over Trey Quinn. You may find spectators who gush over Robert Davis’ athletic potential.
Despite the diverse array of preference in Redskins Park, there is undeniable, overwhelming uncertainty, and there are very few receivers, outside of rookies Terry McLaurin and Kelvin Harmon, who can be considered as strong roster locks. Josh Doctson should make it, but if he’s going to leave next offseason anyway, the team could deem him expendable. Trey Quinn has fans in the building, but he’s admittedly done little to command top-level security just yet.
Ultimately, there are players with more experience, and more foundational advantage in the Redskins receiving core, but the actual order of the depth chart could become very flexible through offseason competition. These are the circumstances from which Unheralded Players ascend. And this is the battle that demands your attention.
With all that being said, let’s take a look at a player who’s been overlooked to this point. A player who has a very intriguing combination of traits, and a player who could potentially earn a permanent roster spot this fall. Let’s take a look at Redskins wide receiver Darvin Kidsy, an Unheralded Player on a mission.
Who is Redskins WR Darvin Kidsy?
Kidsy’s football journey started in a crowded location. Texas is known for its prowess in terms of high school prospect talent, and for Kidsy, a 5-foot-11, 163-pound receiver from Missouri City, it was challenging to break through the veil and command offers from the state’s top schools.
Kidsy only received one scholarship offer as a two-star recruit, and that offer came from North Texas, the home of the Mean Green. Kidsy signed with North Texas for the 2013 season, and he played there for three seasons. He amassed 539 yards and two touchdowns on 48 catches over a span of thirty games, and after failing to rise into a full-time starting role, he transferred to Texas Southern, skipping over the 2016 season due to eligibility rules. An arrest for a hit-and-run also complicated things, but Kidsy was able to hit the field again the next year.
In 2017, with Texas Southern, Kidsy underwent some development, amassing 512 yards and three touchdowns on 37 catches, including a game where he caught 200 yards on eight catches versus Houston Baptist.
Despite his late improvement in Division II competition, Kidsy continued to fly under the radar. He was denied a combine invite in 2018, and he was not drafted in the 2018 NFL Draft. After a short flux period after the draft, Kidsy himself landed in Ashburn, where he worked to stick around with the Washington Redskins.
After a strong offseason and preseason, Kidsy was signed to the team’s practice squad, and late in the season, he was promoted to the active roster for the last two games of the season. He caught just one pass that went for eight yards, but it was enough to keep him hungry for more, and now, he looks to take up a more permanent residence with his current team.
Redskins WR Darvin Kidsy Player Breakdown
It’s been a long journey for Kidsy up until this point, with lots of maturation along the way. Once, in the words of Kidsy himself, a simple “young guy with raw talent”, and nothing else, Kidsy has started on the path to master the nuance of the wide receiver position.
In a 2018 article by Redskins.com’s Stephen Czarda, Kidsy spoke of his desire to learn and humble himself, as he’d been speaking with fellow HBCU alumnus Doug Williams. As long as Kidsy’s drive to improve carries over through this offseason, he should have plenty of chances to capitalize on a weaker position group, and potentially carve out a role. He was signed initially for his potential and his ability to field kicks and punts. With another season, he could expand beyond those bounds.
Kidsy flashed in preseason last year, and early in OTAs this year, he’s caught some passes from Dwayne Haskins, including this one shared by Michael Phillips, where Kidsy’s combination of lateral quickness, burst, sideline awareness, and mechanical hand placement is put on display.
Granted, one clip of these traits in action does not guarantee consistency, but Kidsy certainly has the physical tools to be a complete receiver. Since his high school days, he’s grown to be fill a slightly undersized, but adequate 6-foot-0, 183-pound frame, and in a Hogs Haven article by Bill-in-Bangkok, we get a quantification of Kidsy’s athletic potential in his pro day results. Per the article, Kidsy logged a 40-yard dash time between 4.46 and 4.50, as well as a 41.5-inch vertical leap and a 127-inch broad jump.
Athletic testing doesn’t tell the full story, but those are extremely impressive explosion numbers, and they give Kidsy immense potential, if he can be afforded the time, and the opportunity, to reach his true developmental potential. Kidsy has always been a project. It’s just a matter of whether teams have the resources to take on that project. Now in year two with the Redskins, Kidsy might be showing signs of progress. And that’s an exciting thing.
How Darvin Kidsy can make the Redskins roster
Kidsy has the talent to make the Redskins roster, but he’ll be in the thick of a competition with plenty of other qualified candidates. Between Brian Quick’s experience, Cam Sims’ size, Jehu Chesson’s special teams utility, and Robert Davis’ upside, the battle for the fifth and sixth receiver spots will be brutal, and Kidsy will need to somehow set himself apart.
To set himself apart, Kidsy will have to try and get the most out of his lessons with Ike Hilliard, and he’ll have to maximize the promising athletic traits that he has. This means continuing to hone route nuance and find separation. This means molding explosive athleticism with quick processing and focus at the catch point. Kidsy’s not a liability in terms of size, but he’s not as big as Sims or Davis, so he’ll need to win his way. Luckily for Kidsy, the way of pure separation is popular in today’s NFL.
If Kidsy can continue to build on the progress he’s made since joining the Redskins, and if he can establish himself as a reliable target with upside, through OTAs and training camp, then perhaps he could convince the Redskins that he’s too valuable to risk stashing on the practice squad again.
The Redskins receiving core is crowded and cluttered, and there’s no telling who will consummate the five or six final roster additions. But Kidsy has a chance to be one of those select few, and in the summer of 2019, this Unheralded Player will have everything he needs to prove himself.