The Washington Redskins added veteran Cody Latimer to their wide receiving corps yesterday.
Latimer, now 27, is joining his third football team in hopes of reviving his career. He spent the last two seasons on the New York Giants, and began his professional journey on the Denver Broncos.
Coming out in the 2014 draft, Latimer was a fast riser at the NFL Combine. Initially thought of us a fourth round pick, he rocketed up the draft board and was selected number 56 overall in round two.
His landing spot was ideal too. He was coming to a loaded Broncos team who was quarterbacked by Peyton Manning; and had veterans Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders and Wes Welker to foster his growth.
Understandably, he struggled to garner major playing time and had a minimal impact his rookie season.
In 2015, an opportunity arose when the Broncos elected to move on from Coach John Fox and slot-receiver Wes Welker. Latimer was slated to compete for the vacant slot role with Jordan Norwood. However, he was beat out and was pegged as a WR4. Cody ended his career in Denver with 45 catches, 445 yards and three touchdowns over four years.
Latimer was eventually added to the Giants where his 2018 season was cut short due to a stint on injured-reserve. After a week six hamstring pull, he spent the season on the shelf.
Last year he had a minimal impact on “Big Blue” hauling in 24 of his 42 targets for 300 yards and two touchdowns.
What He Offers
Ultimately, the Redskins are getting a depth piece and a receiver with ample size.
At 6’2″ and 215 lbs, Latimer provides a large target for Redskins quarterback Dwayne Haskins. He provides ample speed with a 4.44 40-yard dash. However, he has been described as more of a stiff athlete with long speed, as opposed to fast-twitch.
Picture Latimer as a possession receiver with a large catch radius, and one to catch balls away from his body. He will struggle to make people miss in the open-field, but he is a plus-blocker in the run game. He should provide competition to Kelvin Harmon as a possible WR2. But he could just as easily find himself on the back end of the depth chart.
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