Washington Football Team: 3 bold ideas for struggling offense

George Halas. Emory Bellard. Bill Walsh. Offensive geniuses, each and every one. (I was going to include Al Saunders, but his ego is big enough without me gassing it up.) Their innovative ideas helped shape the modern game. Now, I would never presume to include myself on this list, but the Washington Football Team does have a few problems on offense, and I just happen to have a few bold solutions to said problems.

The Slot

The Washington Football Team had a problem with the slot receiver position in 2020. Steven Sims Jr. failed to build on the promise he showed in 2019 and has now been released. Veteran free agent signee Adam Humphries would appear to be a steadying influence who should be able to capitalize on his past association with quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. If Humphries falters, or if the team wants a change-of-pace, speedy jack-of-all-trades options like Curtis Samuel and DeAndre Carter can log some time on the inside. Rookie Dax Milne remains an intriguing possibility.

But the early samples from Humphries have been average at best, Samuel has not yet suited up due to injury, and Carter has never been a consistent receiver. Milne is completely untested. So I have another solution.

Cam Sims is a bit of a man without a position. As the Washington Football Team approaches its final cuts, Sims would appear to be in a battle with 2020 draftee Antonio Gandy-Golden for one of the final receiver spots. Sims has great size, but doesn’t have enough speed to create separation and serve as a legitimate downfield Z receiver. Gandy-Golden has the same issue.

But Sims is a quality special teamer and, as he showed late last season, if you can get the ball into his hands in the open field, he is a surprisingly talented runner. So put him in the slot and let opposing defenses try to guard him with a typically smaller slot corner, or else with a linebacker, in which case Sims’ speed stops being a liability and becomes an advantage.

Sims is lined up on the line here, but you get a sense of what he can do coming from the inside.

I know – slot receivers are typically smaller quicker guys who work the middle of the field with mid-yardage patterns. But when he lost a step seven or eight years into his career, Larry Fitzgerald showed how a bigger receiver can thrive from the slot. Tampa Bay’s Mike Evans has become a matchup nightmare when he lines up inside.

Fitzgerald and Evans are clearly more accomplished receivers than Sims, but I would love to see him get on the field every so often, operating in the middle field, in space that has been cleared when the likes of Terry McLaurin, Samuel, and Dyami Brown run deep. That could be fun to watch.