Position Group Breakdown – Wide Receivers

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July 21, 2020

by Steve Thomas

I thought I’d take a break from constant teeth-nashing about the new nickname and worrying about the next atrocious thing the Washington football team’s Redskins’ front office is going to be forced to admit and instead talk some more actual football.  That brings me to our regular written position group breakdown, which this week will be the wide receiver group.  Here’s what we’ve previously covered:

Departures

Jehu Chesson

Paul Richardson Jr.

Arrivals

Antonio Gandy-Golden (2020 5th rd pick)

Antonio Gibson (dual role RB/WR) (2020 3rd rd pick)

Johnathon Johnson (2020 UDFA)

Cody Latimer

Isaiah Wright (2020 UDFA)

Returning Players

Emanuel Hall

Kelvin Harmon

Darvin Kidsy

Terry McLaurin

Trey Quinn

Cam Sims

Steven Sims Jr.

Jordan Veasy

Jester Weah

McLaurin (6’0” / 208), the team’s 2019 third round pick, is the team’s undisputed #1 receiver.  Last season, he played and started 14 games, with 58 receptions in 93 targets for a 62.4% catch percentage, 919 yards, 15.8 yards per reception, and 7 touchdowns.  McLaurin ran the 40 in 4.35 seconds at the 2019 NFL Combine.  Considering he was essentially the third receiver on Dwayne Haskins’ Ohio St. Buckeyes team, very few expected him to develop into a #1-caliber “X” receiver so quickly.  McLaurin has elite footwork and an uncanny to separate even from top corners.  He should only get better in year 2 and continue to develop his connection with Haskins.  The future is bright for McLaurin.  FYI, the CBA doesn’t allow the Redskins to extend his contract until after the 2021 season.

Harmon (6’2” / 221) was supposed to be the starter at the “Z” spot opposite McLaurin; however, we learned last week that he tore his ACL approximately a month ago and will be out for the season.  In 2019, he played in all 16 games, starting 8, and made 30 receptions in 44 targets for a 68.2% completion percentage, 365 yards, 12.2 yards per reception, and 0 touchdowns.  Harmon isn’t fast by NFL receiver standards – he ran the 40 yard dash in 4.60 seconds.  Harmon is already a decent route runner and knows how to use his size to his advantage.  He has a strong future as long as he can come back from his injury at 100% in 2021.

Steven Sims Jr. (5’10” / 176) came out of nowhere last season as an unheralded, undrafted free agent out of Kansas to eventually eclipse Trey Quinn as the lead slot receiver.  Last season, Sims played in all 16 games, starting 2, with 34 receptions in 56 targets, a 60.7% catch percentage, 310 yards, 9.1 yards per reception, and 4 touchdowns.  He also had 9 rushing attempts for 85 yards, 9.4 yards per attempt, and 1 touchdown.  Sims really came on in the last 5 games of the season, with 23 of his receptions and 259 of his receiving yards coming during that time period.  He was the Redskins primary kick returner last year, making 32 returns for 819 yards, and an average of 25.6 yards per return, and 1 touchdown.  Sims is the ideal “offensive weapon” on a team in desperate need for this type of player.  He’ll have competition this coming season in the form of Antonio Gibson, but Sims clearly is a key part of the future for thia team.  His only real downside is that his size may make him more susceptible to injury, but he didn’t have a history of injuries in college.

Latimer (6’3” / 222), a 2014 second round pick by the Denver Broncos, arrived in Washington this offseason as one of the Redskins’ few veteran free agent signings.  He’s only on a one year, $1.0475M contract, and that’s a good thing because Latimer was arrested on May 16, 2020, in Douglas County, Colorado, and charged with second degree assault, illegal discharged of a firearm, and reckless endangerment.  The facts of his case are mostly unknown, so it’s hard to make an educated guess as to his potential status going forward, although his attorney claims that there is exculpatory evidence.  It’s impossible to know whether his case will be resolved prior to the season, so the bottom line is that, until told otherwise, the Redskins shouldn’t count on him to be available in 2020, which is a shame considering Harmon’s knee injury.  Last season, Latimer played in 15 games for the New York Giants, starting 10, making 24 receptions in 42 targets for a 57.1% completion percentage, 300 yards, and 2 touchdowns.

Cam Sims (6’5” / 214) was a 2018 undrafted free agent out of Alabama.  I did a study of his college film which you can read by clicking here.  The Hog Sty also published an interview with Sims conducted by 12 year old Derrick Lee last offseason which you can read by clicking here.  Sims was drastically underutilized at Alabama and has natural size, hands, and at least some speed, running the 40 yard dash in 4.59 seconds at the Crimson Tide’s pro day.  He had a mostly fantastic 2018 offseason but then suffered an ankle injury in game one and missed the rest of the season.  He didn’t achieve the same results in 2019 training camp and bounced between the practice squad and the active roster for most of the season.  In total, last year Sims played in 7 games, starting 1, with 2 receptions in 3 targets for 27 yards.  I still believe in Sims’ talent and think he can play in the NFL, but time is running out for him to carve out a role on this team.  The good news is that considering that the position group almost totally comprised of young, inexpensive players, he will get a legitimate shot to prove he belongs.

Quinn (6’0” / 208) was 2018’s Mr. Irrelevant, drafted by Washington as the last pick in the seventh round.  Quinn spent the first half of the 2018 season on injured reserve with an ankle injury, but played the rest of that season and the big chunk of 2019 in his slot role.  Last season, he competed in 12 games, starting 6, with 26 receptions in 47 targets for a 55.3% completion percentage, 198 yards, 7.6 yards per reception, and 1 touchdown.  All of his catches and yards came in the first 10 games, which directly coincides with the time at which Steven Sims surpassed Quinn on the depth chart.  Quinn was the primary punt returner all year, with 16 returns for 78 yards, for an average of 4.9 yards per return, which was last in the NFL last season for players with more than 15 returns.  Quinn’s time in Washington may come to an end unless he steps up his performance quickly in the preseason.

Kidsy (6’0” / 180) was a 2018 undrafted free agent from Texas Southern.  He was briefly active in the final two weeks of the 2018 season.  Kidsy was cut on August 31, 2019, but rejoined the practice squad in early October and was later activated for the final three games in 2019.  In his career, Kidsy has played in 5 games, with 1 reception in 2 targets for 8 yards.  He was timed in 4.46 seconds in the 40 yard dash, so he has the speed to be a threat and has done fairly well for himself in the preseason.  Kidsy’s biggest stumbling block is that the new coaches don’t know him, so his two seasons with the team aren’t going to count for much when final roster cuts are made.

Gibson (6’0” / 228) was the team’s third round pick this year from the University of Memphis.  I have him listed as a running back, but he’s versatile enough that he could see time at both receiver and running back.  I did a film study on Gibson that you can read by clicking here.  Gibson played 19 games for the Tigers, with 33 carries for 369 yards, an average of 11.2 yards per carry, and 4 touchdowns.  He also had 44 receptions for 834 yards, for an average of 19.0 yards per reception, and an additional 10 touchdowns.   In 2019, Gibson played 14 games, with all 33 of his carries coming last season, plus 38 receptions for 735 yards.  Gibson was also Memphis’ primary kick returner, with 23 returns for 645 yards and 1 touchdown.  He ran the 40 yard dash in 4.39 seconds at the NFL Combine.  His film shows that Gibson’s route running was not at an advanced level, especially his footwork and his cuts.  Right now, at least, I view him as a better running back than receiver.  He isn’t an every down franchise back either – he truly is a “weapon” who can use his speed, vision, and ability to separate to make explosive plays.  He’s not Santana Moss; think modern day Brian Mitchell.  Gibson and Sims should form a great tandem for the Redskins for years to come.  He and Sims will also compete to be the primary kick returner.

Antonio Gandy-Golden (6’4” / 223) was the Redskins’ fifth round pick out of Liberty University.  I did a film study on him which you can read by clicking here.  Gandy-Golden played 44 games in four seasons for Liberty, with a total of 231 receptions for a school-record 3,722 yards, for an average of 16.1 yards per reception, and a school-record 32 touchdowns.  In 2019, he made 70 receptions for 1,304 yards and 9 touchdowns.  He’s very smart and is an advanced and precise route runner who can effectively run the entire route tree, and has a flair for amazing one-handed catches.  His principal negative is that he’s not explosive and won’t be able to separate from NFL defensive backs via speed alone; plus, he was a bit of a “big fish in a small pond” at Liberty and may need some time to adjust to this level of football.  With the injury to Harmon, his chance might come sooner than expected.

Emanuel Hall (6’3” / 195) was a 2019 undrafted free agent out of Missouri who was originally signed by the Chicago Bears.  After he was cut during training camp, Hall spent some time on Tampa Bay’s practice squad before joining the Redskins’ practice squad.  Hall has an intriguing combination of size and speed – he ran the 40 yard dash in 4.39 seconds at the NFL Combine – but unfortunately tore his achilles back in May and will miss the entire 2020 season.  Our own Rob Henson praised his talent on this week’s Hog Sty show, so hopefully Washington will keep him around and give him a shot to come back next season.

Jordan Veasy (6’3” / 221) was a 2018 undrafted free agent out of Cal who was originally signed by the Tennessee Titans.  He bounced around the NFL, with stops in Jacksonville, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, and Buffalo before being signed to the Redskins’ practice squad in December, 2019.  He had 63 catches for 797 yards and 9 touchdowns in 22 games in college.  He ran the 40 yard dash in 4.54 seconds at his pro day.  Veasy has a decent physical profile, so he will have an opportunity to earn his spot on the roster, although another year of the practice squad is a more likely destiny.

Jester Weah (6’3” / 190) was a 2018 undrafted free agent out of the University of Pittsburgh who spent 2018 with the Texans practice squad and later injured reserve before joining Washington in October, 2019.  He was activated for the last game of the season but did not record any stats.   Weah ran the 40 yard dash in 4.43 seconds and jumped 38 inches in the vertical leap in the 2018 NFL Combine, so he’s yet another player who has a good athletic profile and the natural ability to make it if things work go well for him.  His 2020 destiny is also probably the practice squad, but like all of these players, he has a chance to earn his way onto the roster given the inexperience in this position group.

Isaiah Wright (6’2” / 220) is a 2020 undrafted free agent out of Temple.  He was productive in college, playing 50 games in 4 years, making 134 receptions for 1,552 yards, 11.6 yards per reception, and 12 touchdowns, and also had 91 rushing attempts for 552, and average of 6.1 yards per attempt, and 3 touchdowns.  He didn’t participate in the NFL Combine, but his 40 time appears to be in the 4.52 second range.  Wright appears to have a play style similar to Antonio Gibson and has been described as an “offensive weapon”.  He also had significant kick and punt return experience at Temple, so he will be another player who will compete for both of those roles here in Washington.

Johnathon Johnson (5’8” / 170) is a 2020 undrafted free agent out of Missouri.  He was highly productive in college (in part as a beneficiary of now Denver Broncos quarterback Drew Lock), with 153 receptions for 2,190 yards, 14.3 yards per reception, and 13 touchdowns in 46 games over 4 years.  He’s another burner, with his 40 yard dash time estimated to be in the 4.40 second range.  Players with speed will always get a shot, and while Johnson is undersized, he will have an opportunity to prove that he can be a playmaker who can contribute to this young, developing offense.

Predictions

I don’t see the Redskins keeping more than 6 receivers on the active roster under any circumstances, although both Gibson and Wright could conceivably play multiple roles.  The roster locks are McLaurin, Sims Jr., Gandy-Golden, and Gibson.  I think it’s more likely than not that Latimer will not be available to play one way or the other when the season starts as a result of his criminal trouble.  Harmon and Hall will be placed on the PUP list and will unable to play in 2020 due to their injuries.  That leaves Quinn, Cam Sims, Kidsy, Veasy, Weah, Wright, and Johnson to compete for either 1, 2 or 3 spots, depending on whether the team keeps 5 or 6 and how Gibson is counted.   The team could use at least one other player with size with both Harmon and Latimer likely out, so that puts Cam Sims, Veasy, and Jester in contention.  My guess is that the final active group includes both Cam Sims and Weah, the latter due to his superior speed, with Veasy headed back to the practice squad along with at least one of Wright and Johnson.

Given the serious lack of experience in this position group, it seems likely that the team will bring in an established veteran at some point to provide some depth, although I think living, breathing human train wreck Antonio Brown is not likely because head coach Ron Rivera doesn’t strike me as being fond of drama.  I’d support giving Josh Gordon a shot, but the fact of the matter is that he’s currently suspended, so the Redskins would have to go to bat for him with the league, and that doesn’t seem like something that would be a good idea at the present time.  At any rate, keep an eye out for additions unless a number of these rookies and young players take big steps forward.