The Washington Redskins entered the 2016 with one the best receiving corps in the entire National Football League. Pierre Garcon, DeSean Jackson and Jamison Crowder made up one of the most dynamic trios in the entire league. All three were well on their way to 1000 yard seasons before Crowder’s numbers fell off a little towards the end of the year.
Fast forward one year, and question marks surround the receiver position after Garcon and Jackson both bolted on day one of free agency. The team quickly added former Browns receiver Terrelle Pryor (27), and then added former Rams wide-out Brian Quick on Friday.
The Redskins have a collection of big-bodied receivers now
Washington currently has nine total receivers on the roster, with only one being under six foot tall. Bringing in Pryor was a move the Redskins almost had to do despite his rawness at the position. He gives Washington a long-framed receiver (6-4) with speed, and the athletic ability to be able to get up high and catch the ball over smaller defenders. Pryor ended 2016, his first full season as a receiver, with 77 catches for 1007 yards and four touchdowns.
The Redskins are expecting big things from Josh Doctson (24), and he should complement Pryor very nicely on the field. These two will drive defensive coordinators nuts if the team uses them correctly.
After years of having no big receivers, now the Redskins only have one under six foot, and he might be the best of the whole bunch. Jamison Crowder (23) is an emerging talent that the team cannot wait to get more involved in 2017. Crowder really started to come into his own as the season wore on last year and ended the season with 67 catches, for 847 yards and seven touchdowns.
The Redskins recently signed 6-3, 220 pound Brian Quick (27) who played for the Rams the last five seasons. In only 24 career starts, with less than average quarterbacks, Quick has pulled in 105 receptions, for 1499 yards and ten touchdowns. He needs to work on his route-running, but his size and ability to go after the ball make him a great redzone target.
Washington will also bring back Ryan Grant (26), who the coaches love, he has great route-running ability, but drops more passes than he should.
Second year player Maurice Harris (24) will look to continue to grow as a player. He has nice size (6-3), and could be developed into a nice redzone target. Last season Harris was able to catch 8 of the 11 passes thrown to him, including a couple of passes he had to go up and get. The team also has 6-2 Kendal Thompson (24), 6-1 Matt Hazel (25), and 6-4 Reggie Diggs (23) on the roster after the trio spent the year on the practice squad.
Young, but talented receiving unit
This unit lacks experience, but has plenty of size, athletic ability and skills. They do lack a long-ball speedster-type of receiver (like a DeSean Jackson), who can take the top off of defenses by stretching the field. They could look to add another such receiver in the draft like University of Washington’s John Ross.
