Washington Redskins: Niles Paul ready for even bigger 2015?

Last season, tight end Niles Paul was one of the Washington Redskins biggest breakout players, and he took the move from wide receiver to TE well, catching a career-high 39 passes for 507 yards in his first season with a real role in the offense. Paul took full advantage of continued injury woes to promising second-year tight end Jordan Reed, leading all players at the position with a whopping 10.5 yards per target, per Advanced Football Analytics.

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The Redskins knew they needed to lock up the rising 25-year-old with his contract set to expire this offseason, and they struck a three-year, $10 million deal with the former Nebraska standout a few days before free agency opened up, handing the durable pass-catching threat $2.25 million in guaranteed money.

With Reed stealing with injury issues, it looks like money well-spent by a team that also has DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon as mouths to feed in their offense. Paul played well last season and broke out under first-year head coach Jay Gruden, but it looks like there’s reason to believe he can be even better in 2015, and it goes beyond the fact that he could receive more targets and snaps in the offense.

ESPN NFL Nation’s John Keim wrote that Paul has improved his blocking and has improved on the finer points of the game. He’s also bulked up by about ten pounds, and Keim stresses Paul’s increased stature and improved blocking. This is critical, because Paul struggled as a blocker last season, but anybody could have seen that coming from a player first transitioning to the position (TE isn’t exactly easy to learn or play, which is why good ones are so valuable).

Keim reports that the Redskins believe Paul hasn’t lost any speed despite bulking up, so that could be something to verify in the preseason. In any case, it’s great to hear that Paul is continuing to make strides with his technique and blocking, and it’s improvements in the latter that could turn his blocking from a huge weakness into an average (or even above-average, if you are feeling bullish this offseason) trait.

It is clear that Paul was a huge threat as a receiver last year, as he averaged a hefty 13.8 yards per reception and caught a crisp 76.8% of everything thrown at him. After receiving 46 targets in 2014, Paul is a candidate to see his targets jump despite the fact that the Redskins also want to get the ball into Garcon’s hands more often. Based on how Paul has progressed this offseason and how efficient he was in his first year at the position, he’s a player deserving of more opportunities in his fifth season in the league and first season in his new contract.

I mean, the Washington Redskins gave the man a contract for a reason, and more absences from Reed could really give Paul a huge boost in targets. With Paul, it’s a question of opportunity, because it’s unclear how much Reed, who is an even better pure pass-catcher and was crucial on third downs last year, will be able to play.

Keim’s piece also serves as a reminder that while it is important to recognize the fact that Niles Paul could have a second breakout season at the tight end position, we have to make sure not to expect too much when it comes to offseason news like this. However, the Redskins organization has every reason to be high on a young, ascending talent who played well last year despite not really knowing the nuances of the position that well, and he was good enough to be linked to the Atlanta Falcons before free agency opened (though the Falcons would be interested in any legitimate pass-catching TE).

We’ll see if the increased size allows Paul to become an even bigger presence at the position as a result of significantly better blocking, or if he ends up losing some speed as a result of the move. He’s incredibly athletic and showed up well last year, so everyone will be watching closely for an even bigger year from him after signing a new deal with the team in early March.

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