The Washington Redskins have a number of questions to answer in the free agency period of the NFL season. Will Washington retain Kirk Cousins or trade him to the 49ers? Will the front office choose to sign free agent wide receivers like Alshon Jeffery? And will the Redskins want the services of wide receiver DeSean Jackson again?
DeSean Jackson Statistics.
Jackson recorded slightly above 1000 receiving yards and scored four touchdowns in the 2016 season for the Washington Redskins. He didn't miss as many games with injury in 2016, which meant more opportunities for receptions and yardage.
DeSean played in fifteen of sixteen games, an abnormality for a player who usually misses at least a couple games with an injury. Despite the lack of injury, Jackson had a bunch of quiet games to pair with a few huge above 100 yard receiving performances. That inconsistency should make the Redskins a bit wary of signing the free agent to a big contract.
More than a Deep Ball Threat?
The main narrative surrounding DeSean Jackson is that he runs straight down the field as quickly as possible to get open. That would mean that Jackson is purely a long ball threat and nothing more. That isn't entirely true, as DeSean is more than capable of running intermediate routes. However, Jackson is utilized primarily as a deep ball threat and doesn't regularly run normal wide receiver patterns.
If the Redskins want to improve on the offensive end, they should find a different type of wide receiver who doesn't specialize in only one route.
Worth Signing DeSean Again?
Jackson's familiarity with the team has to be positive for the chemistry within the locker room. Bringing DeSean back would give Kirk Cousins a familiar target who he is comfortable with.
But the Redskins would be foolish to give a deep ball threat like Jackson a bigger contract simply because they want him to stick around. DeSean is nice to have, but Washington should only be looking to sign him at the right price. If he's looking for a bigger payday, the Redskins should let him walk.
