Time's up for Josh Doctson in the nation's capital.
News recently surfaced that the Washington Redskins had been attempting to find a trade suitor for the former first-round pick over the last two seasons, but unsuccessfully. Considering Doctson was their top selection in the 2016 NFL Draft, this indicates they were ready to give up on him rather quickly in his young career. Still unable to locate someone willing to offer up compensation for Doctson, things are going down to the wire as they dwindle down their roster from 90 men to the mandatory 53, and that apparently includes ditching Doctson altogether if the Redskins' phone doesn't start ringing.
The team reportedly plans to send the 26-year-old packing via release if a trade deal isn't struck, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
The #Redskins are moving on former former first-round WR Josh Doctson, sources say. They are working hard to trade him, but if they can’t, they’re expected to release him.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 31, 2019
Doctson is entering the fourth year of his rookie deal, and the Redskins have already declined his fifth-year option.
He's set to hit the team's salary cap in 2019 for $3.197 million, and the Redskins will only save $620,000 by cutting him loose now. For a club with an offense as out of sorts as the one in Landover, it's a bit of a head-scratcher that they'd look to move on from Doctson -- especially considering they're in dire straits at the wide receiver position. Granted, Doctson hasn't remotely played up to his draft pick status but, at minimum, he's a solid second option for a team that needs as many weapons as it can get right now.
You can hear more about the first wave of roster cuts from Friday on this bonus edition of the Pick Six Podcast:
Entrenched in a battle with All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams adds to the monitoring of running back Derrius Guice in his return from a redshirted rookie season, and then mixes with questions surrounding if Case Keenum should get the start at quarterback over Dwayne Haskins -- it's an open question how much mobility will be needed behind that offensive line -- lend to another curious round of offseason decisions for the Redskins, should Doctson be given his walking papers.
The Texas native produced 1,134 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in his last two seasons, after battling an Achilles injury for much of his rookie year.
