Washington Football Team’s focus at wide receiver should be in the slot

Speculation season in the NFL and for the Washington Football Team is in full swing.  I must admit, it’s exhausting, overwhelming, and a pointless waste of time and energy.

So allow me to dive right into it. Ha!

While quarterback has been the dominant storyline of the 2021 off-season (rightfully so). I’d like to spend a moment to talk about another area of need for the Washington Football Team:  wide receiver.

It’s well documented the Washington Football Team was aggressive in pursuing Amari Cooper last offseason — aggressive to the tune of $110 million dollars.  Personally, I believe the organization lucked out by Cooper’s decision to return to the Cowboys.

Here’s why: Terry McLaurin.

The current salary cap is structured in a manner in which each team has the ability to only pay a handful of players max-type deals.

McLaurin is entering his third season with the team, as a third-round gem, his salary is just over $1 million the next two seasons.  But with that third-round fortune comes major repercussions.  Washington will have to extend McLaurin by next season or risk losing him via free agency.  As a third-round pick, the team will not have the fifth-year option to use on Mclaurin.

Sure, the Cooper deal could’ve been structured to have an out-clause after three seasons, but the team would still be looking at a dead cap hit of some capacity and also be left without a WR opposite of McLaurin.

While fans were unhappy with not obtaining Cooper and the overall inability to sign big-name free agents like Austin Hooper or James Bradberry.  The savvy moves of signing players like J.D. McKissic, Logan Thomas, and Ronald Darby proved to be the right decision.

So as we look at the available wide receivers this offseason, it’s important to understand what Washington has been missing from the position.

The Washington Football Team needs a slot receiver

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In my opinion, Washington has a glaring weakness that goes under the radar and doesn’t make headlines. That comes at slot receiver.

Slot receiver has demonstrated to be one of the most important and impactful positions in the NFL.  The quick slants, choice routes, and crossing routes often assigned to slot receivers not only provide a security blanket to quarterbacks, but they also lead to highly efficient offenses and open up the field for more explosive players.

While the blueprint for slot receiver may showcase the more conservative routes, slot receivers are becoming more dynamic with vertical routes.  Recently, players like Tyreke Hill and Adam Theilen have transitioned from slot receiver to the outside predominantly.  Some of the top slot receivers in 2020 were every bit as impactful as WR1s.  Look no further than Chris Godwin of the Super Bowl-winning Bucs.

The Patriots have a trophy case of Lombardi’s using quick, shifty slot receivers as the focal point of the offensive passing game.

The NFL has become a West Coast offense.  The quick pass game has become an extension of the running game.  It’s lethal and it’s something Washington has struggled with since the departure of Jamison Crowder.

Cam Sims and Steven Sims aren’t viable options. They’ve proven too often to be injury-prone and unreliable on the field.

Steven Sims over the past two seasons combined has 61 receptions for 575 yards and five TDs averaging only 9.4 yards per catch.  That’s just not good enough, not in this current-day NFL.

So where does Washington look for answers?

Naturally, fans will point to the high profile players like Allen Robinson, but per Sportrac.com Robinson is projected to have an annual salary around $20 million per season. That’s a steep price to pay when the team will need to pay McLaurin next year and have a group of young defensive linemen approaching free agency soon enough.

So where do they turn?  While I’m not doing a deep dive into the available pool of players my guess is they will have a strong look at the middle market.

A guy like Curtis Samuel would appear to be a great fit.  Sportrac.com has Samuel’s projected salary in the $10-$12 million per year range.  Another name to keep an eye on would be Jamison Crowder who is currently under contract with the Jets for around $11 million this season.  Recent speculation is he could be cut with only $1 million in dead cap for the Jets.

It’s just my opinion, but guys like Samuel or Crowder could prove to have immense value both on the field and financially for a team desperately in need of an answer at one of the most underrated positions in football.