DeSean Jackson is one of the most explosive players in the league and this off season he was looking for a new home. Since 2008 Jackson has been one of the Eagles top playmakers with his speed and elusiveness. What makes it even worse for Eagles fans is that after being released from the team he joined forces with the division rival Washington Redskins. So the real question is what can we expect from Jackson in his first season in the nations capital?
The Redskins really needed a receiver to take some of the pressure off of Pierre Garcon. Now the Redskins finally have their playmaker, Jackson will immediately become a key part to the offense. Jackson is a three time pro bowler with three previous 1,000 yard seasons. He’s coming off his best season of his career with over 1,300 yards and nine touchdowns. With Garcon also coming off his best season the Redskins have finally surrounded Robert Griffin III with plenty of weapons.
If you look at the entire offense you start with Griffin who even after the down year season is still considered to be one of the top young quarterbacks in the league. If he is fully healed from the serious knee injury from his rookie season then he’s one of the quarterbacks that can hurt you with his legs or his arm. They also have Alfred Morris probably the best young running back in the league after back to back 1,000 plus seasons Morris is a certified beast.
And now with the of Jackson, Griffin now has plenty of playmakers to throw to. Jordan Reed one of the best rookies from last season proved that he can be the number one tight end for the team. His athleticism and size will make it tough for teams to match up with him like other receiving tight ends in the NFL. The Receiver position is easily the most improved position on the team however.
With the Jackson signing the team is now three to four deep at the position with Aldrick Robinson a guy that has contributed in the past fighting for that fifth spot. Santana Moss one of the teams veterans who was a primary target last year will now be bumped down to the fourth receiver after the signings of Andre Roberts and Jackson. Moss is an aging playmaker that is still capable of making it happen. But Roberts and Jackson are definitely an improvement over Moss and Josh Morgan in the two and three slots.
What makes the core three so dangerous now is the fact that they now have a possession guy (Garcon), a deep threat/speedy playmaker (Jackson), and the slot match up nightmare (Roberts). Garcon is a receiver that plays like a running back, he can take a slant break a couple tackles and get the yards after catch. Sometimes it seems like he looks for the contact more the actually trying to avoid it. Roberts has played the slot in Arizona and he is a matchup nightmare for linebackers and safeties. He’ll be able to make plays under the radar with the top corners worried about Jackson and Garcon.
Jackson is one of the best receivers in the league at getting behind the safeties and executing the deep bomb. He’s also a very good route runner, we’ve all seen him make defensive backs look silly on double routes. Jackson was one of the top in yards per catch last year with 16.2. One of the biggest issues with the Redskins historically is that they don’t blow the top off the defense. That’s why Jackson fits so well with the Redskins offense, he fills one of their biggest needs. Last year Robinson would occasionally come in as the deep threat but with that being the only time he was in the game it tipped the Redskins hand. Now with Jackson capable of staying on the field we’ll finally get to see the deep ball Griffin was famous for at Baylor. This will definitely be a fun offense to watch this year.