At some point in everybody’s life, there comes a moment where you can’t just say you’re going to do something — you have to actually do it.
Now is that moment for Washington Redskins wide receiver Josh Doctson.
After the Redskins declined to pick up the fifth-year option for the former first-round pick ahead of his final year in Washington, the pressure now rests completely on Doctson’s shoulders to perform. He has had his chances to become the playmaker that the team envisioned when drafting him in 2016. Time and again — be it because of injuries or other circumstances — he has fallen short of those expectations.
The Redskins are ready to cut ties, and Doctson knows it.
Washington took two wideouts in last week’s, highlighted by former Ohio State standout Terry McLaurin, who can be a solid possession receiver as well as a dangerous deep threat. The Redskins have acknowledged their lack of depth at the receiver position, and they finally took steps to improve it. The writing is on the wall.
So what would it take for Doctson to secure a second contract with Washington? The simple answer is production. He has one year left before he hits free agency, and if he wants to ensure a check from anybody — let alone the Redskins — he had better get those numbers up. In his three-year career, Doctson has just eight touchdowns while averaging a paltry 33 yards per game. That level of production for any starting receiver in the NFL is lackluster, and it’s harder to swallow once you consider that Washington has sunk more than $10 million into those three years of mediocrity.
If you ask the team what they expect from Doctson in 2019, you’ll widely get the same answer; a breakout season. Washington coach Jay Gruden has gone on the record as saying that inconsistent QB play is what has hindered Doctson so far in his career while pointing out that it could take just one big play to unveil the years worth of suppressed talent. With Case Keenum at the helm and Dwayne Haskins in the waiting, the team is going to look better on offense, but they could also run out of excuses for Doctson’s lack of production should nothing change.
It’s time for Doctson to put up or shut up. The pieces are falling into place for him — he is no longer buried on the depth chart behind Jamison Crowder, and there is finally an average quarterback looking to utilize his potential playmaking ability. Should nothing change, then it’s time to accept the fact that Doctson could go down as one of the larger busts in franchise history.
It looks as if the team is prepared to come to grips with that realization.
