Redskins who could make fireworks during the 2020 NFL season

By Jacob Camenker | Jul 4, 2020

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - DECEMBER 01: Derrius Guice #29 of the Washington Redskins during the second half during their game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on December 01, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images) /

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LANDOVER, MD – NOVEMBER 24: Terry McLaurin #17 of the Washington Redskins celebrates after a play during the first half of the game against the Detroit Lions at FedExField on November 24, 2019 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

LANDOVER, MD – NOVEMBER 24: Terry McLaurin #17 of the Washington Redskins celebrates after a play during the first half of the game against the Detroit Lions at FedExField on November 24, 2019 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /

2. WR Terry McLaurin

There is a heavy Ohio State bias among the top three candidates on this list, and understandably so. The Redskins have been plucking talent from that program for the past couple of seasons and it could all come together in 2020.

That said, Terry McLaurin is arguably the only proven contributor on this list. The 2019 third-round pick emerged quickly as a rookie and became the Redskins’ top receiving threat right away. Few expected McLaurin to be such a dynamic star, but it appears that he is poised to be the team’s No. 1 receiver moving forward, at least based on his 2019 production.

When McLaurin was drafted, many thought he’d challenge for a starting role in what was viewed as a weak Redskins receiving corps. But it wasn’t guaranteed that he’d get the job, and he could end up being the top backup/a special teams ace to kickstart the season. Instead, he emerged very quickly and posted huge numbers for a rookie.

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In 2019, McLaurin logged 58 catches for 919 yards and seven touchdowns in just 14 games as the team’s top target. The most impressive part of his production? He did this while the team shuffled quarterbacks in and out of the lineup. Case Keenum began the season as the starter but was replaced by Dwayne Haskins late in the year. In the interim, Haskins filled in for an injured Keenum at times while Colt McCoy also got a crack at a starting job in Jay Gruden’s last stand.

So in short, McLaurin was able to produce no matter who was on the field. And with some more consistency and accuracy from his quarterbacks in 2020, he should be poised to go well beyond the 1,000-yard receiving barrier. He is one of the true rising stars at the receiver position and it will be interesting to see how he fares comparatively to some of the other strong receivers from his draft class like A.J. Brown, D.K. Metcalf, and Deebo Samuel.

If McLaurin can stay fully healthy and build on the rapport that he and Haskins had during their college days at Ohio State, he could finish with a top-12 receiving season in Redskins history. To do that, he’d need to get about 1,200 yards and while that may seem like a lofty goal, it’s something that McLaurin should have a chance to accomplish if he plays a full 16-game slate in 2020. Either way, he should be poised for a big second season and should avoid a sophomore slump.

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