Welcome back to The Burgundy and Gold Report.
Reports have surfaced that the Redskins were involved in the trade bid for former Cleveland receiver Josh Gordon. In an interview with Rick Doc Walker, V P Doug Williams mentioned that the Redskins were actively involved in trade discussion with the Browns. In the end Williams contends that they came in second in the Gordon sweepstakes, but emphasized that a fifth round draft choice was just too high. To the dismay of many Redskins fans, Gordon went to the Patriots .
Of course, some fans are still clamoring for the Skins to sign former Dallas receiver Dez Bryant. Early on in training camp, that idea had some legs., However, the Skins do not have a stable locker room for either controversial receiver. Considering the low cost and high reward, Gordon would have been the better choice . Now, fans are left asking what’s next?
The New Blood
The recent signings of receivers Breshad Perriman & Michael Floyd show that the Redskins are looking for more than just special teams depth. Perriman and Floyd have both dealt with on-field as well as off the field issues. Both have little special teams experience in the NFL, which left many fans scratching their heads after the acquisitions.
Over the years players have displayed that a change of scenery could be the best cure and maybe thats all Perriman & Floyd need.
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In the case of the former Baltimore 2015 1st round selection, the 6’2″ speedster has disappointed thus far. Perriman has only been active in 26 career games and registered 43 rec for 576 rec yards and 3 TD’s. The former Raven had a nice preseason with 136 rec yards and 1 touchdown. Expectations are not high for Perriman to produce while he is learning the playbook, but the speedster can potentially be the deep threat to take attention away from Reed and the other pass catchers. He must first learn Gruden’s lengthy playbook, but here’s to hoping it’s simplified.
Michael Floyd is known for his 2016 DUI video which instantly went viral. Saying the incident hurt his career would be a gigantic understatement. He missed 3 games that season because of the incident and only finished with 446 rec yards and 2 touchdowns. That was a stark contrast from his previous seasons in which he averaged at least 840 yards and 6 touchdowns per season, with 2013 being his best (1041 rec yards 5 TD’s). Floyd traveled to New England and then to minnesota in only two seasons (registered 120 rec yards on 13 rec in the two season span) before arriving to Washington.
Although Floyd was one of two receivers signed, he definitely could have the bigger impact. If needed, the former Cardinal could step in for Richardson this Sunday. Despite the fact that Richardson has been dealing with a nagging shoulder injury and a sore knee, he played through it versus Indianapolis.
What’s Gone Wrong
The Indianapolis game tape showed the Redskins top receivers dropping catch-able balls, not hustling and not running their routes to completion. There have been many fan complaints on social media that Smith is not seeing the field and missing wide open receivers. The tape did reveal a few plays Smith left on the field. However, the Colts defenders broke down his last line of defense, at times rendering it impossible to see the field . The receivers, Richardson and Doctson in particular, need to be more aware of plays and how to react once they break down, .
Dropped balls aside, the wide receivers simply showed no urgency or fight against the DB’s. Coach Ike Hillard‘s performance needs to examined during the upcoming bye week. His receivers show no aggression when fighting for the ball in the air and the film shows Skins wide-outs routinely rounding out their routes. Without a sold veteran presence, the group seems to be at a stalemate. In the latest Redskins presser, Coach Gruden announced that Mo Harris has been cleared to practice after being in the concussion protocol.
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Adding Floyd & Perriman was a start, but this group has a long way to go before they are considered legit. Trading for Gordon or signing Dez might have created more buzz in the Nations Capital, but would it produce more wins?
Having the receivers prior to the week four bye week will give them extra time to continue to evaluate. Odds are both receivers will be inactive this week. Look for Harris and Quick to be the 4th & 5th active receivers on game day.
Thanks for checking out another B&G Report and stay tuned for the Green Bay Primer and much much more!
HTTR
Written By Adam Aniba