National Football League

Season Grades For Washington Redskins Wide Receivers 2016

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 5:57 p.m. ET

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Dec 11, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Washington Redskins wide receiver Jamison Crowder (80) makes a reception past Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Jalen Mills (31) during the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. The Washington Redskins won 27-22. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

The Washington Redskins came into the 2016 season with a solid receiving corps. Despite some pitfalls, they ended up having a good season collectively.

On paper prior to the 2016 NFL season, if you looked at the Washington Redskins roster, you would guess that their strength would be their receiving corps. The team had two proven veterans to work as the top two receivers with a breakout player in the slot position. In addition to that, they had great depth with a first round rookie joining the squad and a couple of other depth options.

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At the beginning of the season, the unit saw some struggles. There were injuries, misconnections, and accuracy issues that led them to underperforming for the first half of the season. However, things really started clicking in the second half of the year as the team began to gel more.

With all that said, it is time grade how each individual performer on the Redskins roster did during the 2016 season. Here are the grades for the 2016 Redskins receivers.

Dec 4, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Washington Redskins wide receiver Ryan Grant (14) carries the ball during the first half against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Ryan Grant

At the beginning of the season, it seemed like there was an opportunity for Ryan Grant to emerge as a solid receiving option for the Redskins. In his second season, he had logged 23 catches for 268 yards, and looked to have potential as a super sub at receiver. Instead, he severely regressed in 2016.

For the whole season, Grant only managed to catch nine passes for 76 yards. Kirk Cousins seemed to lose confidence in Grant early in the season, and avoided throwing to him. Grant was guilty of some pretty bad drops throughout the year, and looked to lack focus as a top bench option. As the year went on, he ceded snaps to Maurice Harris and seemed to move down in the pecking order.

Grant does play on special teams, but it looks like he may not be long for the Redskins roster. If the team was not set to have their top two receivers hit free agency this offseason, I would fear for Grant’s job. He simply does not look to have what it takes to be a solid receiver at the NFL level.

Grant’s Season Grade: D-

Next: Josh Doctson

Sep 18, 2016; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins wide receiver Josh Doctson (18) runs with the ball as Dallas Cowboys safety Byron Jones (31) attempts the tackle in the fourth quarter at FedEx Field. The Cowboys won 27-23. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Josh Doctson

Josh Doctson missed a majority of the season, so it does not really seem fair to give him a different grade for his lack of playing time. I said the following about Doctson’s season at the midseason mark.

That turned out to be true. Doctson has a lot of upside, but his 2016 season left a lot to be desired. He deserves a below average grade, but at the same time his grade should not be too low. He will get the same mark that he got at the midseason point.

Doctson’s Season Grade: C-

Next: Maurice Harris

Nov 20, 2016; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins wide receiver Maurice Harris (13) makes a catch as Green Bay Packers running back John Crockett (38) defends during the first half at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Maurice Harris

When Josh Doctson went down with an injury, the Redskins elected to replace him on the active roster with Maurice Harris. The undrafted rookie played his college ball at California, and many did not expect him to be a major factor.

Well, that turned out to be somewhat true. Harris was active for 10 games during the 2016 season, but he only managed to catch a total of eight passes for 66 yards. It did not look like he was completely ready for the NFL from a receiving standpoint.

That said, the Redskins were smart in their usage of Harris and put him in position to succeed. Harris is a big-bodied player at 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, so the team elected to use him mostly as a blocker. This was a very smart move, as he was able to see some success on the outside blocking defensive backs as a wide receiver. Granted, opposing teams were able to figure out how the Skins were using Harris after a certain point, but getting him reps as a blocker should help him out.

Overall, Harris had a pretty decent year. Considering that he is an undrafted rookie, he did well to get onto the active roster and should not be penalized too much for a lack of receptions.

Harris’ Season Grade: C+

Next: Jamison Crowder

Dec 19, 2016; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins wide receiver Jamison Crowder (80) runs with the ball as Carolina Panthers cornerback Lou Young (25) chases in the third quarter at FedEx Field. The Panthers won 26-15. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Jamison Crowder

At the midway point of the season, Jamison Crowder checked in as our top graded Redskins receiver of the 2016 season. This was what was said about Crowder during the bye week.

Things changed for Crowder during the second half of the season. Throughout the last eight games, Crowder only recorded 27 catches for 349 yards and three touchdowns. In all but two of the contests, he had 42 receiving yards or less. Teams caught on to his tricks, and were able to cover him in the slot very well. He simply was not the game breaker that he was at the beginning of the season.

Crowder definitely has talent, but the second half of his season is a bit concerning. He could be the top receiver for the Redskins in 2016, but he has to avoid another second half slump if he can help it. Crowder will bounce back to a potentially elite level in 2017, but his inconsistency late in the year will knock his grade down a notch.

Crowder’s Season Grade: B-

Next: DeSean Jackson

Dec 24, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Washington Redskins wide receiver DeSean Jackson (11) in action during the game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. The Redskins defeat the Bears 41-21. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

DeSean Jackson

For the third time in his career, DeSean Jackson led the NFL in yards per reception. With a mark of 17.9, Jackson proved to still have excellent speed and really came on during the second half of the season.

After serving as mostly a one trick pony in the first half and struggling to get open, Jackson put together a really strong second half. Jackson was able to get open on a lot of deep balls, but also improved his route running as an intermediate receiver. He realized that Cousins would not target him as much if he was always running the same routes, so he sort of reinvented his game down the stretch.

It definitely paid off. Opposing defenses were unable to figure out when Jackson would try to break a huge play, and as a result, he was able to do it more frequently. He could trick defensive backs and make them complacent before blowing by them. It was truly impressive to watch, and really helped the Redskins offense.

By the end of the year, Jackson had 1,005 yards on 56 catches. He had four 100+ yard games down the stretch and served as option 1B for the team. Jackson deserves a raise from the B- he was dealt in the middle of the year.

Jackson’s Season Grade: B+

Next: Pierre Garcon

Aug 26, 2016; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins wide receiver Pierre Garcon (88) catches a touchdown pass in as Buffalo Bills cornerback Kevon Seymour (45) defends during the first half at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Pierre Garcon

In many ways, this could be considered the best season of Pierre Garcon’s career. Sure, you can point to the year where he led the NFL in receptions with 113 and recorded 1,346 receiving yards, but this past season was more impressive for one reason. Garcon seemed to significantly improve despite being age 30.

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Over the course of the year, Garcon was the most consistent receiver on the Redskins roster. It was not even close. In all but two games, he had four or more receptions. He constantly posted 50 to 100 yards per game, and really developed into the top target for Cousins.

Probably the most impressive part of Garcon’s all-around game was his abilities to size up opposing defensive backs and use his combination of physicality and quickness to beat them. He worked extremely well in the mid-range game, and that is likely why he really became the security blanket for Cousins.

At the end of the day, Garcon was definitely the best receiver on the squad. The Redskins really need to try and keep him during the offseason. They cannot afford to lose both him and Jackson, especially given the rapport they have developed with Cousins.

Garcon’s Season Grade: A-

Next: Overall Positional Grade

Dec 24, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Washington Redskins wide receiver Pierre Garcon (88) acknowledges the crowd as he leaves the field after the game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. The Redskins won 41-21. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Overall Positional Grade

Coming into the season, there were some high expectations for the Redskins receivers. They were shaping up to be a formidable unit with two quality veterans, a first round rookie, and a dynamic second year slot receiver manning the position. They may not have lived entirely up to the lofty standards, but they definitely got the job done.

The team had two 1,000+ yard receivers, and had another go over 800 yards. They simply were dynamic, and while not every player worked out perfectly, the units as a whole was generally successful more often than not. For this reason, the unit will get an above average grade, for finishing the season in a good place.

Overall Season Grade: B+

Next: 5 Defensive Coordinators To Replace Joe BarryThis article originally appeared on

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