Washington Redskins: Questions need to be answered at wide receiver
The Washington Redskins have reshaped their offense this offseason starting with a new approach at wide receiver, but questions remain.
The Washington Redskins are one of the oldest teams in the NFL in terms of age on the roster, but it’s not because of their wide receivers. Instead, they took a youthful approach when building their group of wideouts.
Final cuts had to be in by 4:00 p.m. ET on Saturday and the Redskins’ depth chart at wide receiver looks as follows: Josh Doctson, Paul Richardson, Jamison Crowder, Maurice Harris, Trey Quinn and Cam Sims. Richardson will serve as the distinguished “veteran” at 26 years old over a group with an average age of 24.
Richardson was the top addition at receiver to this year’s offense following a four-year stint in Seattle. Back in March, he signed a five-year, $40 million deal to be the team’s top deep threat. The Redskins may have a lot of fresh legs running routes for newly acquired quarterback Alex Smith. However, it also raises a lot of questions about who can be relied on.
The expected starting trio of Doctson, Richardson, and Crowder are the only ones with notable NFL experience. They have combined for 54 starts in their careers, while the remaining three are still waiting to see what their careers entail.
Quinn and Sims are rookies who aren’t expected to make much of an impact outside of special teams. In the preseason, the duo racked up 12 receptions for 212 yards.
Meanwhile, Harris caught three passes for 22 yards and one touchdown, but surprisingly earned a spot over Darvin Kidsy and Brian Quick. Harris has been able to impress the coaching staff after spending time on and off the Redskins’ practice squad for the last two seasons.
Still, one injury could severely cripple Washington’s passing attack. Star tight end Jordan Reed was very limited in training camp and sat out every preseason game recovering from offseason surgery. Reed has missed a total of 28 games over his five-year career and has yet to finish a full season injury free. When healthy, though, he is one of the best pass-catching threats in the league at his position.
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Last season, the Redskins passing offense ranked 12th in the league with Kirk Cousins under center. Smith led the seventh-ranked passing offense in Kansas City, but was throwing to the likes of speedy wideout Tyreek Hill, All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce and a safety valve in Pro Bowl running back Kareem Hunt.
One of the main questions surrounding the Redskins’ newly reformed offense is if Smith will be able to produce throwing to unfamiliar weapons who have a lot to prove this season. And we may not have a definitive answer until after Week 1 — or perhaps even beyond that.