Washington Redskins should retain Niles Paul

By Andrew Long | Feb 22, 2015

The 2015 NFL free agency period is right around the corner and like every other team in the league, the Washington Redskins will have to decide whether or not to retain a number of their players. Niles Paul, Washington’s backup tight end, is one of the players scheduled to hit the open market. With Jordan Reed in-and-out of the starting lineup due to injuries, Paul was given significant playing time in 2014.

Prior to 2014, Paul never caught more than 8 passes in a season. He caught 2 passes for 25 yards during his rookie campaign in 2011 and managed to compile 8 receptions for 152 yards and a touchdown in 2012. Paul’s numbers would retract in 2013, as he only caught 4 passes for 51 yards; the emergence of Jordan Reed had a lot to do with that.

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Jordan Reed, the Redskins starting tight end, is very young and loaded with potential. He’s very athletic and can make things happen after the catch. His athleticism makes him a tough matchup for opposing defenders. He’s had a solid first few years in the league, but has struggled to stay on the field.

Reed missed 5 games in 2014 due to injury. While I wouldn’t call Reed injury prone, I think that it’s something the Redskins should keep an eye on. With Reed being hurt at different points during the season, Niles Paul showed that he is capable of taking on a larger role within the offense.

Paul started 7 games for the Redskins in 2014. He caught 39 passes for 507 yards and 1 touchdown. He was 3rd on the team in yards and 5th in receptions. His 13.0 yards per catch was 2nd best on the team for anyone with more than 10 receptions. He trailed only DeSean Jackson in that category.

As I mentioned earlier, Paul’s emergence was initially derailed because of the addition of Reed in 2013. The presence of Reed isn’t the only thing that slowed Paul’s progression, though. The fact that Paul entered the league as a wide receiver and was switched to tight end has a lot to do with it.

For the most part, Paul played wide receiver as a rookie. He bounced around between fullback and tight end in 2012 and played all three positions in 2013. Paul played mostly tight end last season. He split out on occasion, but that’s the norm for modern day NFL tight ends.

In my opinion, Paul has finally found the position that suits him. His role as a receiving tight end fits him very well. At 6-1 and 225 pounds, he isn’t much of a force in the run-game. If the team utilizes him correctly, that shouldn’t matter much.

After showing he has the ability to be a legitimate weapon within the Redskins offense, it would be a shame to see Paul in another uniform. Washington doesn’t have the best track record of developing players, so it would be a blow to see another team reap the benefits.

Paul is only 25 and is still has a lot of room to grow. The amount of improvement that he’s shown from his rookie season until now is impressive and it’d be nice to see him become more involved in the offense. Having 2 capable tight ends is a popular trend in today’s pass happy league and the Washington Redskins would be wise to follow suit.

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