Wide receiver DeSean Jackson says he thinks his addition to the Washington Redskins this offseason will prove to be beneficial to both him and Pierre Garcon, the team’s top holdover wideout.
“I respect Garcon,” Jackson said after Tuesday’s opening practice of this week’s minicamp at Redskins Park. “He’s a good player in this league, a great receiver. This is my first year really getting to know him and having that relationship with him. I think me and him will be able to be like that one-two punch in the NFL and have a great year. So whatever it is I can help him with, vice versa, whatever he can help me with, I look forward to that.”
DeSean Jackson is changing teams, which is rarely a good thing for a wideout unless he's moving into a larger role. In this case, he's joining a team with a proven target-hog (Pierre Garcon) and an up-and-coming tight end (Jordan Reed). New HC Jay Gruden does have a reputation for being pass-happy, but the Redskins actually attempted more passes (611) than the Bengals did (587) last season, so the pie may not grow as expected. In Cincinnati, Marvin Jones was the WR2 and saw 80 targets while playing just 48% of the snaps. If Jackson plays 80% of the snaps and sees the ball at the same rate, he would be targeted roughly 133 times. That’s plenty of work for D-Jax to post top 20 numbers, though Reed demands more targets than Cincinnati's Jermaine Gresham/Tyler Eifert combo last season. For more on D-Jax's potential workload, click here.
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