Redskins WRs Davis and Harmon making waves in preseason

With the emergence of  young wide receivers like Robert Davis and Kelvin Harmon for the Washington Redskins, could it possibly make another veteran receiver expendable before Week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles?

With yet another preseason game in the books for the Washington Redskins, the competition at wide receiver is possibly starting to become a bit clearer.  While Paul Richardson, Trey Quinn, and Terry McLaurin have not had much playing time (if any) in two preseason games against the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals, all seem to be locks to make the club heading into the regular season.  On the other hand, Josh Doctson has seen the field with minimal production on limited targets.

The three receivers that have seen the field the most in the preseason include Robert Davis, Darvin Kidsy, and Kelvin Harmon among others.  Davis in particular has been the most impressive of the bunch so far, due to his display of explosive athleticism in both games.

After suffering a devastating injury last August, Davis is finally showing that he belongs in the NFL this preseason after being selected in the sixth round of the 2017 NFL Draft from Georgia State.  In just two preseason games, Davis has recorded two catches for 101 yards, and two touchdowns.

Against the Browns, Davis showed outstanding  playmaking ability by hauling in a 46-yard touchdown catch from Case Keenum after what appeared to be a busted coverage by Browns defenders.  Against the Bengals, Davis flashed again as he outran Bengals S Trayvon Henderson in route to a 55-yard touchdown catch on a perfect throw from rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins.  The physical freak is putting on a show at the receiver position for all to see with his elite height, weight, and speed.  A prime example of this from the game against the Bengals can be seen below via NFL.com on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1162165064717127680

Harmon hasn’t been quite as productive as others in limited opportunities, but the former North Carolina State product flashed against the Bengals as well.  In the final game summary, Harmon is not shown as recording a catch, being that he was technically targeted only once.  However, on one particular play in the fourth quarter, Harmon was seen streaking downfield when a pass from Haskins came his way.  Harmon leaped over a Bengals defender, as throw seemed to be a bit short, in order to haul in the catch for a big gain.

Unfortunately, the catch was overturned via a coach’s challenge issued by Bengals head coach Zac Taylor.  The act of the catch was determined to be offensive pass interference, much to the dismay of Redskins fans.  This penalty was one of ten called on the Redskins in the entire game.

Both Harmon and Davis are inexperienced at the receiver position in the NFL.  Neither have acquired a single statistic in the regular season with Davis entering year three, and Harmon being a rookie.  However, both have unique tools to be successful in the upcoming season and beyond.  Harmon in particular shares the same skill-set as former first-round pick Josh Doctson.  Both have  the ability to make contested catches, and they have the size in order be considered effective red zone targets.

The Redskins obviously do not see Doctson as a candidate long-term as they have already declined his fifth-year option for an estimated $10.3 million, per ESPN’s John Keim.  Instead of keeping him on the roster for one more season and losing another young receiver, the team may have to consider a trade or outright release before Week 1 against the Eagles.

There should be no reason for the team to wait for the inevitable.  The final group at wide receiver should consist of Richardson, McLaurin, Quinn, Davis, Harmon, and Cam Sims.  Darvin Kidsy can fill in on the active roster if an injury occurs as he has shown the ability to produce in his own right throughout the preseason.

If Dwayne Haskins is selected to start a majority of the team’s games at quarterback, as is expected by most who cover the team, it would be wise to let him grow with the young receivers that will be a part of the burgundy and gold longer than just the 16 regular season games in the upcoming season.