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Washington Redskins: Josh Doctson should see bigger role

By Donny Starr

LANDOVER, MD - SEPTEMBER 24: Wide receiver Josh Doctson #18 of the Washington Redskins makes a catch and scores a touchdown against the the Oakland Raiders in the third quarter at FedExField on September 24, 2017 in Landover, Maryland (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - SEPTEMBER 24: Wide receiver Josh Doctson #18 of the Washington Redskins makes a catch and scores a touchdown against the the Oakland Raiders in the third quarter at FedExField on September 24, 2017 in Landover, Maryland (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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Business is about to pick up for Washington Redskins wide receiver Josh Doctson.

Despite the early-season success of the Washington Redskins, things haven’t come without a bit of frustration. For the offense, perhaps the most notable instance comes looking at wide receiver. With a new group of featured faces, no one has truly yet to step up and take the onus of being “the guy”.

Coming into the year, the hope was that 2016 first-round pick Josh Doctson could be that guy. And though he’s flashed, he’s been far from consistent. However, head coach Jay Gruden plans to get Doctson more work in the upcoming games.

According to Master Tesfatsion of the Washington Post, the head coach offered these thoughts:

"“We are going to actively expand [his role], without a doubt,” Gruden said. “He didn’t get as many reps as I would like at the end of the day when you look at the numbers, but it’s our job. We have got to get him in there more and expand it.”"

Out of the nine times he’s been targeted so far this season, two of those catches have been touchdowns. How Gruden plans to get Doctson more involved, however, is a mystery. He currently has three receivers and two tight ends with 100+ yards on the season. Running back Chris Thompson leads all pass-catchers with 18 catches for 340 yards.

Thompson could be the X-factor. Gruden has been very weary about how he uses him, so Docston could get his touches for that reason alone.  That’s crazy talk though. ESPN is already predicting Thompson should have a 1,000-yard season. John Keim said it could be historic:

"Through five games Thompson is on pace to do something only three other running backs have done in NFL history: Carry the ball 100 times and surpass 1,000 yards receiving."

That means using Thompson more in the run game to make that happen. Gruden hasn’t been in favor of that to this point, though, which means there could be a window of opportunity for the TCU standout.

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Then there’s Option B: Cut from the bottom of the list (Jamison Crowder, Ryan Grant, Jordan Reed).   Cousins is good at spreading the ball around to his receivers, so it shouldn’t be a problem. If Doctson keeps making plays in the end zone, he’ll have no choice.

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