Washington Redskins: Passing Targets No Longer a Problem

Remember when the Washington Redskins were a run first, pass last offense? Those days are behind them thanks in-part to a fantastic arsenal of weapons.

Remember when Jason Campbell was the quarterback of the Redskins and everyone complained that he wasn’t good enough. Let me throw my cape on right here, and defend the man.

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I’ll start off by saying I’m the biggest Campbell apologist you’re going to find, but that doesn’t mean I’m wrong when I say he got a bad rap in Washington. Let’s go back to 2007, Campbell’s first year as a full-time starter.

Who did he have to throw to?

Santana Moss. Awesome, great receiver, especially back then. Number-one guy though? That’s a “Michael Jordan dunking at the end of the game in Space Jam” reach.

Chris Cooley. Another solid piece. He was a very dependable tight end, nearing the peak of his career. He wasn’t the biggest weapon ever though. Don’t know if he should’ve been a number two target though.

Who’s next though?

Antwaan Randle El? Stop. Keenan McCardell? He was 37. Again, stop. Brandon Lloyd? James Thrash? At that point in their careers? No.

Okay, let me name drop one more. Todd Yoder. The guy who had 48 receptions his entire career? Yeah, I think you get the point.

Don’t get it twisted. All of them were great players at some point in their careers. But 2007 just wasn’t that time. Most of them were on the verge of retiring, and some of them (like Yoder) weren’t even supposed to be pass catchers. Yoder was a solid tight end because of his fantastic blocking ability, but he shouldn’t be brought into a conversation about receivers.

With all of that in mind, I think you can excuse Campbell for not being the savior of Washington.

The same excuses can’t be made with this Redskins’ receiving corp in 2016 though.

Kirk Cousins proved he can sling the football last year, and with the help of a dynamic group of pass catchers, he could have a giant season.

I don’t know if you could call any of these guys number one receivers at this point in their career either, but the way they all fit together is too perfect not to get excited.

Yes, Pierre Garcon‘s and DeSean Jackson‘s best years may be behind them, but Garcon’s is going to make the tough catch and fight for yards to get a first down, while Jackson’s still one of (if not the) biggest deep ball threat in the NFL.

Jamison Crowder was drafted in the fourth round last season and reeled in 59 catches for 604 yards. He’s going to be a beast in the slot.

Then the Redskins went and added Josh Doctson to the mix, and he’s the ultimate weapon. He’s got size, speed, hops, and absurd stick-um hands. In a few years, he’ll easily be the number-one target on the team.

Throw in backups like Ryan Grant, who can run routes well and has trustworthy hands, and Rashad Ross, who has stupid speed, and you’ve got a full-blown squad.

Then you go to tight ends, and yes, there is a number-one target here. I’m sure you realized immediately that I’m talking about Jordan Reed. He racked up 87 receptions for 952 yards and 11 touchdowns in 14 games last season. Reed runs incredible routes, has great hands, and is almost impossible to bring down. Throw in Niles Paul and Vernon Davis at the position and we’re getting into the “unfair” territory.

Do the Redskins have the best pass catching weapons in football? Crowder thinks so (via Will Brinson of CBSsports.com)

After seasons of suffering through the problem of having no receivers open half the time, Redskins fans will get to enjoy the “problem” of yelling at Cousins for throwing to one open receiver when two others were open. Hey, the man’s only got one football, he can’t throw it to all of them at once.