Geoff Lambert breaks down why Josh Doctson is set to be a second-year stud.
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Josh Doctson’s rookie season ended before it really had a chance to get started. He appeared in only two games, caught two passes for 66 yards and no touchdowns. He was put on injured reserve on October 21 with a nagging Achilles injury that had hampered him in the offseason as well.
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It is nearly impossible to speculate on how his season could have gone had he not been injured. He would have had to compete for targets with wide receivers Pierre Garcon, DeSean Jackson, Jamison Crowder, and tight end Jordan Reed.
On the other hand, the Redskins took Doctson in the first round and did their best in limited time to get him involved. In a home game against their arch-rival Dallas Cowboys, the Redskins threw three straight fade routes to Doctson on the goal-line — unfortunately, none were successful.
Fast forward to 2017. The Redskins look a lot different than they did when Doctson last played a game for them. Gone are WRs Jackson and Garcon, the Redskins signed free agent WR Terrelle Pryor to a one-year deal, and offensive coordinator Sean McVay is now the head coach of the Rams.
He will still likely go into the season as the No. 3 WR behind Crowder and Pryor, and the No. 4 passing option behind TE Reed, but the Redskins offense should be good enough to support all five of players. In fact, Crowder was second on the team in receptions and led the team in touchdowns in 2016 despite being — at best — the third or fourth option in the offense.
It has yet to be determined what role Doctson will have in this offense. Will he play outside, allowing Crowder to stay in the slot — a place he thrived in last year.
Or, does Crowder move to the outside allowing Doctson to work in the slot? Whatever position the Redskins decide to use him in — I believe he will thrive.
Though not as tall as Pryor, Doctson stands at a respectable 6-feet-2-inches and weighs a little over 200 pounds. Coming out of college, scouts raved about his ability to “high-point” the ball in traffic, and his knack to win the “50/50” balls.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins will have a lot of red zone targets this year with TE Jordan Reed standing at 6-foot-3, Pryor at 6-foot-6, and Doctson at 6-foot-2. Conventional wisdom would suggest that those other two guys will garner all the attention leaving Doctson to play one-on-one with the opposing team’s No. 2 cornerback. Advantage Doctson.
The early reports out of camp are promising, claiming that the injury is behind him and he is ready to play. Jay Gruden even went on record to say that he looked “impressive.”
#Redskins HC Jay Gruden said Josh Doctson has “been impressive.” Notes he’s looking better each day and needs to continue to build.
— Stephen Czarda (@SCzardaRedskins) May 24, 2017
Assuming there is no setback with his Achilles, Doctson is primed for a breakout season in what should be one of the best offenses in the NFL. My prediction is 65 receptions 850 yards and six touchdowns. Not record breaking numbers, but for a likely late-round pick in fantasy drafts, he could be a steal.
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