Looking back: Santana Moss continues to be an effective receiver, but he also showed that his days as a solid No. 1 likely are over. Moss had a good season with 70 catches. But he only scored three touchdowns and had 902 receiving yards. Some of that stems from the inability to get downfield more with the passing game; some of that is because teams effectively played various coverages on him — double teams; brackets. A few years ago he was great at making plays in the air downfield; haven’t seen that in a while unless he’s in the clear. Still a good player. Antwaan Randle El caught 50 passes, but failed to score. As a No. 3 receiver, he’s questionable. If he’s a No. 4, that’s fine. He gets open underneath, but lacks the speed to burn teams. Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly showed signs of life, but only combined for 50 catches. Marko Mitchell was a camp phenom, but even at that time it was clear he would not contribute much and he didn’t.
Recommended Stories
Still need to see: More production from the young wideouts. They’re the futre. Moss and Randle El aren’t going to change, but if the Redskins offense is to grow, then Thomas and Kelly must progress more. Thomas started to show growth, but then got hurt. Kelly blamed his lack of productivity on a lack of opportunities. But when receivers get open, they get more chances. He was missed a few times early in the season, but he also lost the starting job.
Grade: C. Very average group. Nobody averaged more than 13.9 yards per catch (Kelly). Yes, they were missed at times, but not a lot of explosive plays.
Looking forward: Again, it’s about the young guys. Will they keep Randle El around? Certainly not as a returner. How much will Moss start slowing down and if he does, will either Kelly or Thomas be ready to replace his productivity? Some people around the league, GM types/scouts, seem to favor Thomas over Kelly, pointing, in part to raw talent and durability. Thomas is built for the Z receiver spot with his size, but he needs to show more explosiveness off the line. It also depends who is throwing the ball to them and what sort of changes Mike Shanahan makes to the offense. He runs the West Coast, but he’s had different influences so it’s hard to say how it’ll look in Washington.
