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Five questions the Redskins must start to answer during training camp

By Nathan Britton

ASHBURN, VA - JULY 29: Washington Redskins players stretch during the first day of training camp at Redskins Park on July 29, 2011 in Ashburn, Virginia. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
ASHBURN, VA - JULY 29: Washington Redskins players stretch during the first day of training camp at Redskins Park on July 29, 2011 in Ashburn, Virginia. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /
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LANDOVER, MD – OCTOBER 14: Wide Receiver Paul Richardson #10 of the Washington Redskins celebrates after scoring a touchdown in the first quarter against the Carolina Panthers at FedExField on October 14, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD – OCTOBER 14: Wide Receiver Paul Richardson #10 of the Washington Redskins celebrates after scoring a touchdown in the first quarter against the Carolina Panthers at FedExField on October 14, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

How will the Redskins receiving corps shake out?

In a year of unknowns for the Washington Redskins, one thing is certain, they do not have a stand out weapon on offense. The arrow always seems to point to Chris Thompson and Jordan Reed as the ones who will carry the offense, but injuries and age have caused their production to drop and become sporadic. They will need someone to step up and become a focal point for an offense that lacks identity.

In his second year with the team, Paul Richardson will look to stay healthy and provide a deep threat to allow everything to open up underneath. His speed and ball-tracking ability is as close to elite as you can get. But with his injury history and the fact he was paired with Alex Smith, who doesn’t often look for deep completions, Richardson was sat on the shelf to collect dust in his first year in Washington. Should he stay healthy, either Keenum or Haskins will be able to push the ball downfield and allow Richardson to become a force for opposing secondaries.

Looking closer at the unknowns, the younger wideouts like Cam Sims, Trey Quinn, and 2019 draft picks Terry McLaurin and Kelvin Harmon will fight for snaps and target share. Quinn is the assumed starter in the slot role, replacing Jamison Crowder who is now with the New York Jets.

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Richardson is going to start on the outside so with him there and Quinn in the slot, that leaves one starting spot open for either Sims, Harmon, McLaurin or Doctson. It’s a good problem to have four possible names for one spot. However, it’s frightening that three of the four have no NFL experience and the fourth is a first-round pick who has never caught 50 passes in his career.

Doctson will get the first crack at the starting gig, and very well may be penciled in as the starter. But, he will be on a short leash. And with years of frustration surrounding Doctson’s health and lack of production in three seasons since being a first-round pick, Doctson could see some push from the younger guys on the team.

Doctson, entering his age 26 season, will have to come out string together a career year if he hopes to remain the starter and create a solid free-agent market for himself at years end. Doctson’s ability to turn any pass into a 50-50 ball should provide a boost in his red-zone looks and allow him to rack up his touchdown numbers. If he can do that, this offense could thrive.

These next few months of camp will provide an excellent look into who’s ready now and who is someone to keep an eye on in the future. With the upside Haskins has, any wideout on this team could end up being a valuable piece to pair with him.

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