The Washington Redskins are 0-2 on the year and the offense has floundered. Despite that, Jamison Crowder is proving not everyone is struggling.
Jamison Crowder was a fourth-round draft pick of the Washington Redskins in 2015. The wide receiver exceeded expectations then, catching 59 passes for 604 yards and two touchdowns. If there was one complaint, it was his struggles returning punts—something he was fantastic at in college.
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Through two games in his sophomore campaign, Crowder has 12 receptions (tied for team-high), one touchdown (team-high), and 97 yards. It appears he’s even got the whole punt return business down, with 47 yards on three returns. That’s a major leap in average from last year when he returned 30 punts for 158 yards.
It doesn’t look like that stellar rookie season was a fluke, but how can Crowder keep it up?
First, he can continue being an extremely reliable target. He’s been thrown to 17 times, and has 12 catches. Only Vernon Davis (six catches on six targets) and Chris Thompson (five catches on six targets) catch the balls thrown to them at a higher percentage than Crowder.*
They’re not always the easiest catches either, but Crowder can make them.
Next there’s his speed. Crowder’s dynamic speed mixed with his great hands makes him useful in many roles for the Redskins. He can catches quick slants across the middle of the field, or go deep for a ball.
Then there’s screen passes, the easiest receptions for receivers. Just a quick pass behind the line of scrimmage and the receiver has a free catch. This isn’t a play that teams will just run to anyone however; they have to trust you in the open field. Crowder’s speed and elusiveness makes him a great candidate for screen passes. He’s able to turn up the field quickly while making multiple guys miss to make a big play out of nothing.
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With all the different ways you can get Crowder the ball, it’s easy to see why he’s flourishing so much in his second year. Now it’s just up to the rest of the Redskins’ offense to catch up.