Washington has a new quarterback in Alex Smith, and with Ryan Grant and Terrelle Pryor having moved on, the remaining wide receivers will be called on to play a larger role. Jamison Crowder, of course, but also Josh Doctson -- who's yet to really establish himself.
Doctson is now entering his fourth season. His first two were total washouts. He was healthy in 2017, but didn't really do much with his chances. According to this story, it's a more confident Doctson who's out there on the field so far. He's building a rapport with Alex Smith, and Jay Gruden is hoping things carry over.
Hard to be confident in a breakout, though, since Doctson has a lot to prove. Like catching a few more of the passes thrown his way. Among wideouts with at least 75 targets last season, nobody caught a lower percentage of their passes than Doctson.
| WIDE RECEIVER CATCH RATE, 2017 (75-PLUS TARGETS) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Tgt | Pct |
| Golden Tate, Det. | 92 | 1003 | 5 | 120 | 76.7 |
| Adam Humphries, T.B. | 61 | 631 | 1 | 83 | 73.5 |
| JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pitt. | 58 | 917 | 7 | 79 | 73.4 |
| Randall Cobb, G.B. | 66 | 653 | 4 | 92 | 71.7 |
| Tyreek Hill, K.C. | 75 | 1183 | 7 | 105 | 71.4 |
| Danny Amendola, N.E. | 61 | 659 | 2 | 86 | 70.9 |
| Sterling Shepard, NYG | 59 | 731 | 2 | 84 | 70.2 |
| Michael Thomas, N.O. | 104 | 1245 | 5 | 149 | 69.8 |
| Mohamed Sanu, Atl. | 67 | 703 | 5 | 96 | 69.8 |
| Jarvis Landry, Mia. | 112 | 987 | 9 | 161 | 69.6 |
| Terrance Williams, Dall. | 53 | 568 | 0 | 78 | 67.9 |
| Larry Fitzgerald, Ariz. | 109 | 1156 | 6 | 161 | 67.7 |
| Stefon Diggs, Minn. | 64 | 849 | 8 | 95 | 67.4 |
| Cooper Kupp, LAR | 62 | 869 | 5 | 94 | 66.0 |
| Robert Woods, LAR | 56 | 781 | 5 | 85 | 65.9 |
| Nelson Agholor, Phil. | 62 | 768 | 8 | 95 | 65.3 |
| Eric Decker, Tenn. | 54 | 563 | 1 | 83 | 65.1 |
| Kendall Wright, Chi. | 59 | 614 | 1 | 91 | 64.8 |
| Doug Baldwin, Sea. | 75 | 991 | 8 | 116 | 64.7 |
| Keenan Allen, LAC | 102 | 1393 | 6 | 159 | 64.2 |
| Adam Thielen, Minn. | 91 | 1276 | 4 | 142 | 64.1 |
| Jamison Crowder, Wash. | 66 | 789 | 3 | 103 | 64.1 |
| Jermaine Kearse, NYJ | 65 | 810 | 5 | 102 | 63.7 |
| Davante Adams, G.B. | 74 | 885 | 10 | 117 | 63.2 |
| Antonio Brown, Pitt. | 101 | 1533 | 9 | 163 | 62.0 |
| Kelvin Benjamin, 2 tm | 48 | 692 | 3 | 78 | 61.5 |
| Rishard Matthews, Tenn. | 53 | 795 | 4 | 87 | 60.9 |
| Jordy Nelson, G.B. | 53 | 482 | 6 | 88 | 60.2 |
| Martavis Bryant, Pitt. | 50 | 603 | 3 | 84 | 59.5 |
| Julio Jones, Atl. | 88 | 1444 | 3 | 148 | 59.5 |
| DeVante Parker, Mia. | 57 | 670 | 1 | 96 | 59.4 |
| Demaryius Thomas, Den. | 83 | 949 | 5 | 140 | 59.3 |
| Brandon LaFell, Cin. | 52 | 548 | 3 | 89 | 58.4 |
| Marqise Lee, Jac. | 56 | 702 | 3 | 96 | 58.3 |
| Michael Crabtree, Oak. | 58 | 618 | 8 | 101 | 57.4 |
| Brandin Cooks, N.E. | 65 | 1082 | 7 | 114 | 57.0 |
| Marvin Jones, Det. | 61 | 1101 | 9 | 107 | 57.0 |
| Devin Funchess, Car. | 63 | 840 | 8 | 111 | 56.8 |
| Mike Wallace, Balt. | 52 | 748 | 4 | 92 | 56.5 |
| DeSean Jackson, T.B. | 50 | 668 | 3 | 90 | 55.6 |
| Robby Anderson, NYJ | 63 | 941 | 7 | 114 | 55.3 |
| Kenny Stills, Mia. | 58 | 847 | 6 | 105 | 55.2 |
| DeAndre Hopkins, Hou. | 96 | 1378 | 13 | 174 | 55.2 |
| Paul Richardson, Sea. | 44 | 703 | 6 | 80 | 55.0 |
| Marquise Goodwin, S.F. | 56 | 962 | 2 | 105 | 53.3 |
| A.J. Green, Cin. | 75 | 1078 | 8 | 143 | 52.4 |
| T.Y. Hilton, Ind. | 57 | 966 | 4 | 109 | 52.3 |
| Dez Bryant, Dall. | 69 | 838 | 6 | 132 | 52.3 |
| Mike Evans, T.B. | 71 | 1001 | 5 | 136 | 52.2 |
| Emmanuel Sanders, Den. | 47 | 555 | 2 | 92 | 51.1 |
| Keelan Cole, Jac. | 42 | 748 | 3 | 83 | 50.6 |
| Amari Cooper, Oak. | 48 | 680 | 7 | 96 | 50.0 |
| Alshon Jeffery, Phil. | 57 | 789 | 9 | 120 | 47.5 |
| Josh Doctson, Wash. | 35 | 502 | 6 | 78 | 44.9 |
Some of those missed connections can be blamed on the quarterback, but Doctson's teammate Jamison Crowder shows up a lot more favorably in the list. It's also noteworthy that there are some proven guys (like A.J. Green) near the bottom of the list, too; nobody is doubting his ability.
Regardless, it takes a leap of faith to select Doctson this season and hope things go much better. He needs to prove he can do it first.
--Andy Richardson