Washington Redskins: Jamison Crowder poised for a huge 2018 season
Jamison Crowder is entering a contract season with a new quarterback for the Washington Redskins. He could be in store for a career year.
The Washington Redskins expected a huge year from slot receiver Jamison Crowder in 2017. After losing their top two receivers in free agency, head coach Jay Gruden expected big things from his third-year pass-catcher. Unfortunately, 2017 was a year that Crowder would love to soon forget.
Whether it was dropping passes or fumbling punts, Crowder had a tough year. Crowder fumbled six times in all and really struggled in the return game. The coaching staff hasn’t said if Crowder will return punts in 2018, but it would be big for Crowder and the offense if he had no more special teams duties.
With Alex Smith now under center for the Redskins, Crowder could be in store for a career year. The two clicked this spring and the new quarterback is excited about his slot receiver, per John Keim of ESPN:
"He’s so easy to read as a quarterback. Such great body control, body language. He sees defenses well and it’s hardest to do that in between the hashes. You get so many looks and leverages and you have to handle all those things. He’s decisive and he’s so friendly. He’s always coming back to the ball, always working for you. Those are things you know as a quarterback come crunch time that here’s a guy who will constantly work his tail off to get open. He wants the ball. You love that as a quarterback."
That’s pretty high praise from the new passer. And, per Keim, Smith is the NFL’s third-highest-rated passer when throwing to slot receivers over the last five years.
Crowder attributed some of his struggles last season to hamstring injuries. So, he spent this offseason working out at Duke — his alma mater — working on strengthening his entire body. Crowder explained to Keim why he chose to spend time at Duke in the offseason:
"When I was at Duke, I didn’t have hamstring issues, maybe one or two, so I went back and did more dynamic lifts that I did in college. I feel great now. It was frustrating [last year]. When you go out there with a lingering injury, you’re already setting yourself behind."
Crowder appeared to be out of sync with former quarterback Kirk Cousins at times over the last two years. Part of the issue was Cousins was often hesitant to pull the trigger when the coverage was tight, even though Crowder had his man beat. Smith is the type of quarterback who will trust what he sees and that’s good news for Crowder.
Next: NFL 2018: 10 Teams with best chance at going 16-0
If Crowder rebounds and has a big year, the Redskins will have to pay the price for not re-signing him already. Washington can ill afford to continue to let young offensive weapons leave and replace them with lesser players. Crowder can be a building block for this offense moving forward and Gruden hopes that begins in 2018.