Free agency is just around the corner, and I will be interested to see what happens with DeSean Jackson. He’s smaller, older receiver in the back half of his career, but he’s still one of the league’s best deep threats.
I’m not saying Jackson is anywhere near as good as he was five years ago. He’s slipped some, and he’s a slender receiver who’s been prone to injuries. They might be exaggerating in listing him at 178 pounds.
But Jackson still has wheels, making him an effective weapon in the right offense. In his three years in Washington, his 14 touchdown catches have come from an average distance of 50 yards. In the last three years, 43 wide receivers have caught as many passes, and all have averaged under 38 yards on their touchdowns.
As I see it, the problem with Jackson is that he’s just not as young, explosive and prolific as he was in the past. He scored 12, 8 and 9 touchdowns in the 2009, 2010 and 2013. In his last three years, he’s caught 6, 4 and 4 – just not as productive. With his limited size, he’s not particularly good on shorter routes or in contested situations. He doesn’t have the same toughness, for example, as smaller receivers like Steve Smith and Antonio Brown.
But Jackson is still a weapon and a field stretcher. He should be able to help some offense.
He’s shown an interest in staying in the NFC East, with Washington and Philadelphia being the frontrunners. But if some other team is willing to throw some money around, I’m sure that would get Jackson’s attention. Jameis Winston is lobbying for Jackson in the Tampa Bay Times.
| AVERAGE SCORING DISTANCES (2014-16) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Player | TD | Avg |
| DeSean Jackson, Wash. | 14 | 49.9 |
| Kenny Stills, N.O.-Mia. | 15 | 37.8 |
| Brandin Cooks, N.O. | 20 | 37.6 |
| Martavis Bryant, Pitt. | 14 | 35.9 |
| Ted Ginn Jr., Car. | 14 | 32.5 |
| Steve Smith, Balt. | 14 | 32.4 |
| Torrey Smith, Bal.-S.F. | 18 | 30.2 |
| T.Y. Hilton, Ind. | 18 | 30.2 |
| Odell Beckham Jr., NYG | 35 | 29.8 |
| A.J. Green, Cin. | 20 | 29.6 |
| Sammy Watkins, Buff. | 17 | 26.5 |
| Allen Hurns, Jac. | 19 | 26.4 |
| John Brown, Ariz. | 14 | 26.1 |
| DeAndre Hopkins, Hou. | 21 | 25.1 |
| Demaryius Thomas, Den. | 22 | 23.6 |
| Emmanuel Sanders, Den. | 20 | 23.6 |
| Julio Jones, Atl. | 20 | 23.6 |
| Jordy Nelson, G.B. | 27 | 23.3 |
| Julian Edelman, N.E. | 14 | 22.6 |
| Dez Bryant, Dall. | 27 | 22.6 |
| Jeremy Maclin, Phi.-K.C. | 20 | 22.3 |
| Michael Floyd, Ariz.-N.E. | 17 | 21.9 |
| Terrance Williams, Dall. | 15 | 20.7 |
| Golden Tate, Det. | 14 | 20.6 |
| Doug Baldwin, Sea. | 24 | 20.5 |
| Mike Wallace, 3 tms | 16 | 19.6 |
| Kelvin Benjamin, Car. | 16 | 19.4 |
| Anquan Boldin, S.F.-Det. | 17 | 19.2 |
| Antonio Brown, Pitt. | 35 | 19.1 |
| Jordan Matthews, Phil. | 19 | 18.7 |
| Mike Evans, T.B. | 27 | 18.6 |
| James Jones, G.B.-Oak. | 14 | 18.4 |
| Michael Crabtree, S.F.-Oak. | 21 | 18.2 |
| Brandon Marshall, Chi.-NYJ | 25 | 17.6 |
| Calvin Johnson, Det. | 17 | 17.5 |
| Rishard Matthews, Mia.-Ten. | 15 | 17.0 |
| Davante Adams, G.B. | 16 | 16.2 |
| Donte Moncrief, Ind. | 16 | 16.1 |
| Allen Robinson, Jac. | 22 | 15.3 |
| Larry Fitzgerald, Ariz. | 17 | 14.8 |
| Alshon Jeffery, Chi. | 16 | 13.9 |
| Eric Decker, NYJ | 19 | 13.8 |
| Cole Beasley, Dall. | 14 | 12.1 |
| Randall Cobb, G.B. | 22 | 11.6 |
On this chart, I’m listing only wide receivers with at least 14 TD catches, and I’m including only touchdown catches (not runs or kick returns).
—Ian Allan