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Training camp starts in less than three weeks, and we’re about 5 weeks from the preseason opener against the Patriots. Basically, we have three weeks with nothing to do but wait.
So, I thought we could do what we did last year at this time: let’s rank the NFC East, one or two position groups at a time. Today, I thought it would fun to take a look at the division’s wide receivers.
While the division has been adding star-power at the Running Back position with players like Zeke Elliott, Saquon Barkley, Derrius Guice, Jay Ajayi, Darren Sproles and Chris Thompson filling up rosters, the opposite might be true at the wide receiver position, as most NFC East teams have an underwhelming list of names slotted in as their star wide receivers. This offseason saw Dez Bryant leave the Cowboys, Brandon Marshall leave the Giants, Terrelle Pryor leave the Redskins, and Torry Smith leave the Eagles without any high-profile receivers being drafted into the division, and Paul Richardson headlining the free agent WR acquisitions in the NFC East.
When the Redskins had Pierre Garcon and Desean Jackson, it was arguable that they had the best overall receiving corps in the NFC East, and possibly in the entire NFL. These days, the position group poses a lot more question marks for the burgundy & gold. Most Redskins fans are excited about Paul Richardson, but, really, his production thus far in his career has been a bit pedestrian when compared to the free agent contract he signed this off-season. With Josh Doctson going into his 3rd season as a pro, the fans (and perhaps even the coaches) still aren’t sure whether he is a draft bust or a potential NFL star receiver who is ready to break out. Jamison Crowder’s inconsistent 2017 season raised questions about what should be expected in 2018, and the depth chart behind these three players is as clear as Mississippi mud.
The Giants boast star power in Odell Beckham Jr., but will his contract issues with the Giants front office this off season spill over into the regular season and see everyone’s favorite diva suffer a decline in production as he attempts to return from the first major injury of his career? And does NY have enough depth behind OBJ and Shepard to allow the GM, coaches and fans of Big Blue to sleep easy at night?
The big news for Dallas at the WR position, of course, was the long-overdue and badly-timed release of Dez Bryant, whose mouth, attitude, and paycheck haven’t been matched by performance for a few years now. The headline acquisition of the offseason for the ‘Boys was Allen Hurns, who was signed from Jacksonville on a 2-year, $10.6m contract. The current ‘stars’ of the the Dallas receiving corps in addition to Hurns seem to be Terrence Williams and Cole Beasley, and, while both are fine players, neither seems to be the cornerstone upon which superbowl champions are built. Of course, many people had the same opinion of Nelson Agholor at this time last year. Fans were so down on him last offseason that I didn’t even list him among the Eagles receivers in the ‘ranking the WRs’ article, and no one objected in the comments section; I think the only mention he got was this: “Algholor has done nothing in the NFL since he was drafted, and can not catch”.
Speaking of the Eagles, winning a super bowl makes everyone look better. Their group of wide receivers looks a lot better today than it seemed to twelve months ago, even after trading away Torry Smith, one of the key offseason free agent signings for Philly last year, and signing Mike Wallace, a 3rd round draft pick coming out of college who has had a good, but not spectacular, career, and is playing for his 5th team in his 10th season.
Redskins
- Josh Doctson
- Paul Richardson
- Jamison Crowder
- Brian Quick, Mo Harris, Robert Davis, Trey Quinn + 4 UDFAs
Giants
- Odell Beckham Jr.
- Sterling Shepard
- 10 JAGs
Cowboys
- Terrance Williams
- Allen Hurns
- Cole Beasley
- Tavon Austin
- Michael Gallup
- Cedrick Wilson
Eagles
- Alshon Jeffrey
- Nelson Agholor
- Mike Wallace
- Markus Wheaton
- Mack Hollis
- Shelton Gibson
Poll
Which team has the best WR group in the NFC East?
This poll is closed
-
20%
Redskins
(289 votes) -
25%
Giants
(364 votes) -
1%
Cowboys
(18 votes) -
52%
Eagles
(735 votes)
Poll
Which team has the weakest WR group in the NFC East?
This poll is closed
-
10%
Redskins
(138 votes) -
6%
Giants
(80 votes) -
81%
Cowboys
(1030 votes) -
0%
Eagles
(11 votes)
Poll
Who is the best wide receiver in the NFC East?
This poll is closed
-
1%
Trey Quinn
(20 votes) -
1%
Josh Doctson
(19 votes) -
1%
Paul Richardson
(13 votes) -
1%
Jamison Crowder
(25 votes) -
81%
Odell Beckham Jr.
(1057 votes) -
0%
Sterling Shepard
(5 votes) -
0%
Terrance Williams
(1 vote) -
0%
Cole Beasley
(3 votes) -
9%
Alshon Jeffrey
(124 votes) -
1%
Nelson Agholor
(14 votes) -
0%
Simmie Cobbs
(4 votes) -
0%
Allen Hurns
(6 votes)