The Eagle Has Landed
Just a few days after surprisingly being released by the Philadelphia Eagles, wide receiver DeSean Jackson has found a new home in the NFC East by reportedly signing a three-year deal with the Washington Redskins. The market for Jackson was remarkably slow for a player with his level of talent, but that just really showed how leery teams are becoming with perceived selfish players who are considered to be of the “me first” variety. The signing of Jackson creates a ripple effect in terms of dynasty value on the Redskins.
Let’s break it down player-by-player.
DeSean Jackson, WR WAS
It’s been quite the off-season for Jackson, who started off by complaining about his new contract, proceeded to convince Eagles Coach Chip Kelly he was a cancer in the locker room, was subsequently released by Philadelphia, then spent his visit with Washington doing the club circuit with DeAngelo Hall and rapper Wale before signing on with Washington late tonight.
The Redskins are taking a calculated gamble (or maybe it’s an uncalculated gamble with Dan Snyder pulling the strings) that Jackson just needed a change of scenery and can put up similar numbers as he did last year when he posted 82 catches for 1,332 yards and nine touchdowns. In his six years with the Eagles, he’s posted 356 catches for 6,117 yards and 32 touchdowns, while averaging a robust 17.2 yards per catch.
With the Redskins, he gives Robert Griffin III another legitimate threat opposite Pierre Garcon. Jackson’s ability to stretch a defense is as good as anyone’s and RGIII will love taking some deep shots to D-Jax. Jackson’s value is tough to really put a tag on at the moment. His antics of late have to knock him down a peg or two, but he at least landed in a spot with a good quarterback, unlike Oakland or the New York Jets.
I wouldn’t expect the same numbers from Jackson next season as those seem to be unreachable. Simply put, it’s going to be tough for him to re-produce those statistics in an offense a little less dynamic. Jackson still remains a bit of a one trick pony as a deep threat and player who can score any time he touches the ball. Unforunately, he could also destroy a locker room just as quickly.
Feel lucky?
Robert Griffin III, QB WAS
Adding a player with the ability of Jackson is never a bad thing, as long as he doesn’t start commanding the ball more than he should. Pierre Garcon will remain the most targeted receiver for the Redskins and time will tell how Jackson responds to that. Regardless, Jackson will stretch the defense, opening up opportunities for Garcon and Jordan Reed, among others.
This is a huge make or break year for Griffin, who just didn’t look like the same player last season. With Jay Gruden working some offensive magic and the additions of Jackson and Andre Roberts, things look good on paper.
Pierre Garcon, WR WAS
Color me naive or skeptical, but I don’t think the addition of Jackson really changes much of anything for Garcon. He’s RGIII’s most trusted receiver and that shouldn’t change a bit. After all, Garcon posted 113 catches for 1,346 yards and five touchdowns last season and could have easily been the offensive MVP of the team. Coach Gruden isn’t going to all of a sudden build his passing game around Jackson instead of Garcon.
Jordan Reed, TE WAS
This move could be great for Reed as he looked very good before a concussion ended his season. He remains a major breakout candidate and dynasty owners need to remember he was on pace for nearly 1,000 yards last year before hitting injured reserve. A highly skilled player with the ability to go deep or sit in zones, Reed should find the Jackson signing open up some soft spots on a defense committted to not allowing Jackson to beat them deep.
Andre Roberts, WR WAS
If there’s a loser in this deal, it has to be Roberts, who now looks to have no chance of starting for Washington this year. He’s going to be a WR3 on that team and is going to post some very inconsistent lines next year. This is tough news for his owners to swallow, but we’ve seen Jackson burn bridges quickly before. Roberts is a “hold” until further notice.
Alfred Morris, RB WAS
It’s conceivable Morris could benefit from defenses playing deeper to fend off the long bombs going to Jackson. However, the big question for Morris is how he does without the Shanahan zone-blocking regime running the show. He’s talented enough to be successful in most systems, but he’s a player with some question marks surrounding him.
Leonard Hankerson and Santana Moss, WRs WAS
It’s time to move on if you haven’t already.
Ken is on Twitter at DLF_KenK
