FPC Roundtable: “Assuming Washington keeps six WRs, who will they keep and why?”

We here at FPC Washington pose the occasional question and offer a roundtable discussion among our staff writers.

Our conversations can revolve around depth charts, proposed trades, and trending hot topics that pop up within the Washington Football Organization.

Today, we pose the question: “Assuming Washington Keeps six WRs, who will they keep and why?”

Let’s pass the mic around to our staff writers, and get a sense of what they are thinking. Each writer was asked to identify the six players Washington Football would keep, and provide context why.

Staff Writer Brett Esch (@BEschWFT): 

Brett’s Prediction: Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel, Dyami Brown, Adam Humphries, Cam Sims and Kelvin Harmon

On the final 53 will be Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel, Dyami Brown, Adam Humphries, Cam Sims, and Kelvin Harmon. McLaurin is a given. Coming off two monster seasons, he’s the undisputed number one for this team as one of the premier wide receivers in the sport.

Samuel, who Washington signed to a three-year deal over the offseason, gives Scott Turner the versatile playmaker he’s been after since his time with him in Carolina. He’s as much of a no-brainer as McLaurin.

Brown was the WFT’s late third-round selection and will have a legitimate chance to start Week 1 as the number two receiver. He’s as close to a given as any player can be. Humphries signed a one-year deal over the offseason and is a substantial upgrade from Steven Sims Jr. He’ll work strictly out of the slot as a true ‘possession’ receiver.

This is where things get murky. Sims has big play ability, but will have to be a notch more consistent than he was in 2020. However, I believe he makes this roster with ease. Harmon — to put it plainly — is an unknown commodity at this point in his career after coming off a brutal leg injury that forced him to miss all of last season. However, he’s shown more on the field than Antonio Gandy-Golden, who is also vying for that final roster spot. Gandy-Golden might get the nod due to being a Rivera-era acquisition, but if we’re looking strictly at on-field production, Harmon will get his second chance.

Staff Writer Tony Wheat (@TonyJWheat): 

Tony’s Prediction: Terry Mclaurin, Curtis Samuel, Dyami Brown, Adam Humphries, Cam Sims and Antonio Gandy-Golden

The six Washington WR’s on the final 53 will be Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel, Dyami Brown, Adam Humphries, Cam Sims and Antonio Gandy Golden. McLaurin is the lead dog, and his stature is unquestioned. The addition of talent around him may only serve to improve his numbers as defenders have to shift some focus onto some of the other weapons on the WFT offense. McLaurin will be able to move around the formation and could produce lights out numbers this season

Samuel will add speed, flexibility and diversity to the offense. Scott Turner will have seen how he was used in Carolina last season and build the best bits of that into what he already knows about his strengths. Samuel should be a genuine number two WR.

Brown perhaps surprisingly slipped to Washington and his big play ability should provide another option to take the top off defenses. All 3 WR’s so far have the ability to win with speed, something that will help keep safeties honest and prevent too many heavy boxes, which will also help the ground game. Humphries, despite being a proven commodity is not an absolute lock to make the team given his lack of production in the past 2 years, albeit with injuries playing a major role. His familiarity and success with Fitzpatrick should see him claim the slot role, although both Steven Sims Jr and Dax Milne could yet challenge for the role if they have a big camp. Rivera showed last year with Sean Davis that he was prepared to cut a projected free agent starter. I don’t expect that to happen, but it’s not impossible.

Sims had a solid end to 2020 and his role as the big bodied 4th receiver should be safe. His potential sometimes exceeds his production but for an undrafted guy, his growth last season was noticeable. A strong showing in the wildcard game bodes well for his continuing presence on the team, although he’ll have to have a solid camp to ensure he keeps some of the fringe guys like Harmon and Wright at bay.

Gandy-Golden gets the nod for the final slot, although it could easily go to Harmon. Based simply on the fact that Gandy Golden was a 4th round pick and had an injury disrupted rookie campaign, my guess is that he gets another opportunity to show he can make something happen. Too much can be made of someone being picked by the current administration, but Rivera invested reasonably high draft capital in AGG, so unless he really lost the trust of the coaching staff last year he should get another shot. That would leave Kelvin Harmon, Steven Sims Jr, Isiah Wright, Dax Milne, DeAndre Carter and Tony Brown on the outside looking in with potentially a couple of those making it through to the practice squad. Milne would be one potentially and perhaps Harmon, to allow him to continue to strengthen his knee.

Staff Writer George Carmi (@Gcarmi21):

George’s Prediction: Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel, Dyami Brown, Adam Humphries, Cam Sims and Antonio Gandy-Golden 

It’s funny, Tony stole a little bit of my thunder with his post, but I guess that’s what I get for going last! As we have seen above, Terry McLaurin is the unquestioned leader of this wide receiving corps. Not only has he been a constant presence for Washington, but he has also has proven to be QB-proof. Over his first two seasons, the Ohio State product has caught passes from seven different quarterbacks and still consistently puts up numbers. The fact that he was a captain during his second season also proves his value to this team. I believe McLaurin is poised for his biggest season yet, and it will be exciting to see him with a QB who truly liked to go deep (as opposed to his predecessors).

Moving down the depth chart, its easy to peg Samuel and Brown as wide receivers two and three. I envision Samuel as a Swiss Army Knife, who will line up in the Z-position. Meaning he will be off the line of scrimmage and used in motion. Brown should compliment him well, because at times they will flip-flop between the slot and boundary. Many view Brown as solely a deep threat, but I feel he is more refined than that, and more nuanced as a route runner. Think a less polished McLaurin. In terms of production, McLaurin and Samuel will be seeing the most target and yards, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Brown pops with about five touchdowns this year.

Now we are on to wide receivers four through six. I have Humphries, Sims, and Gandy-Golden here. I’m somewhat tempted to remove Humphries and replace him with Dax Milne, but I get the sense that the team will find a way to keep both. Humphries is a steady presence–when healthy–but the team has been embracing a youth movement. I think between Milne and Humphries, it’s going to come down to punt returning ability.

Sims in my opinion is a lock. He’s an athletic specimen and has popped when called upon. Especially under this coaching regime. Coach Ron Rivera has been effusive in his praise and I don’t see Sims going anywhere. In fact, he is best suited as a depth player, not a heavy use player.

Finally, AGG gets the nod over Kelvin Harmon. I know many value Harmon’s production his rookie season, but that was two years ago, and under a different regime. His quarterback at the time, Dwayne Haskins, also now resides in Pittsburgh. Harmon has no connections here. I think Rivera and Co. will want to see the Gandy-Golden experiment through, and so far AGG has been shining this offseason with multiple TDs reported.

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