Josh Doctson - Pro Football Rumors

East Notes: Cowboys, Manning, Wake, Jets

October 6th, 2018 at 8:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

Terrance Williams landed on IR after not being listed on the Cowboys‘ injury report going into Week 4. The veteran wide receiver appeared on Dallas’ Week 5 injury list, however, after a personal issue kept him out of the Cowboys-Lions game. Now, both he and Travis Frederick — also placed on IR Saturday — are out until at least the Dec. 9 game against the Eagles. As for Williams’ status with the Cowboys, it’s possible he’s played his last game with the team considering his diminished role (39 snaps in three games). For now, the team is sticking by the embattled receiver, who may face a suspension for his offseason car accident. Williams is under contract through the 2020 season. It would cost the Cowboys ($2.5MM in dead money) more to cut him than it would save them by shedding that contract in 2019, however.

“With him, there’s a suspension looming out there that might or might not happen,” Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said Friday during an appearance on 105.3 The Fan (via Pro Football Talk). “He does have some things after coming off that foot injury, which happens. When you have a foot injury, sometimes you rush it back, and you’re not quite there. And then just personal and general, some things that maybe are holding him back right now. I just think it’s a work in progress with him. We think a lot of him. He’s a fighter and competitor, we just got to get him right.”

Here’s the latest from the East divisions, shifting to a Dallas rival:

Eli Manning‘s play has apparently drawn scrutiny from Giants decision-makers. The 15th-year starter has not had much success down the field this season, frequently checking the ball down. “Growing frustration” has emerged with Manning’s issues in this area, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News notes. Odell Beckham Jr., during a recent interview with ESPN’s Josina Anderson (via Leonard), also questioned why Manning isn’t making more downfield throws. “How come we can’t throw the ball for more than 20 yards?” Beckham asked Anderson, rhetorically. “How come we don’t attempt or try to throw the ball for more than 20 yards? Those are questions that we have to figure out.” Manning’s only completed nine 20-plus-yard passes this season, and just six of those traveled 20-plus yards through the air. Manning is completing 74 percent of his passes.
Josh Doctson suffered a heel injury during practice earlier in the week and is questionable for the Redskins‘ game against the Saints, per ESPN.com’s John Keim (on Twitter). He did not practice Saturday, which doesn’t bode well for the third-year wideout’s status for Monday night. Maurice Harris will start in Doctson’s place if he’s unable to go, Jay Gruden said.
Trumaine Johnson managed a limited practice on Thursday but did not participate Friday because of a quadriceps injury. The Jets‘ top cornerback is out for their Week 5 tilt against the Broncos. Johnson was available and in the starting lineup for each of Gang Green’s first four games, so this will be an adjustment for the 1-3 Jets.
The Dolphins will be without Cameron Wake on Sunday. Wake’s knee-related absence will bring second-year defensive end Charles Harris into the lineup opposite Robert Quinn, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald writes. Miami entered the season quite deep at end but will be without Wake, William Hayes (IR) and Andre Branch this week. Wake did not travel with the team to Cincinnati.

WR Notes: Diggs, Decker, Doctson, Broncos

August 4th, 2018 at 4:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Vikings now have three of their four major offseason extension candidates signed long-term, with Anthony Barr being the only member of the contract-year quartet (Barr/Stefon Diggs/Eric Kendricks/Danielle Hunter) still attached to a rookie contract. Diggs was the latest to sign, and some details of that five-year, $72MM extension have emerged. Of the $40MM in guarantees, Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports (on Twitter) that only Diggs’ $15MM signing bonus and $1.9MM 2018 base salary are fully guaranteed at signing. The remainder of the wide receiver’s guaranteed money will depend on his roster status.

If Diggs is on the Vikings’ roster by the third day of the 2019 league year, all of his $8.9MM 2019 base becomes guaranteed. The same structure exists for the 2020 and ’21 league years, with Goessling reporting Diggs’ 2020 base of $10.9MM becomes fully guaranteed on Day 3 of that league year and $3.3MM of his $10.9MM 2021 salary will be guaranteed if he’s with the Vikes on Day 3 of that league year.

Here’s the latest from some teams’ pass-catching situations, shifting to more contract talk.

Eric Decker‘s one-year Patriots agreement comes in at just shy of $2MM. The former Broncos, Jets and Titans wideout signed for $1.9MM, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). He has a chance to earn up to $2.5MM, per Rapoport, via incentives tied to his reception count. Decker suited up in Patriots gear for the first time Saturday. Now 31, Decker is entering his ninth season.
While Emmanuel Sanders has yet to relinquish his status as the Broncos’ No. 2 wide receiver — a role he inherited from Decker in 2014 — the team looks to have found a No. 3 target at long last. Having failed to find a capable cog for that job since Wes Welker‘s exit, the Broncos appear to be zeroing in on Courtland Sutton as their No. 3 receiver, Lindsay Jones of USA Today writes. The SMU product’s drawn rave reviews throughout Broncos camp, and Jones notes the second-rounder’s all but locked up the WR3 job going into preseason play. Fourth-round pick DaeSean Hamilton, viewed as a superior route-runner than the 6-foot-3 Sutton, is expected to play a role as well. But Sutton will likely start out as Denver’s third option. The rookies’ work will be interesting, given the non-guaranteed contract-year salaries for the Broncos’ longtime starting wideouts in 2019.
Josh Doctson has suffered another injury, a shoulder setback, but contrary to a previous assessment, the Redskins target won’t be out too long. NBC Sports Washington’s Brian Mitchell, a longtime Redskins return man, said Doctson also needed to have his heel drained earlier this week. Jay Gruden, though, refuted that. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a heel being drained,” Gruden said, via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “So I don’t know where that came from. That is not true, but he’s going to do a little something out here today. We’ll see. I’d be surprised if he went full-go, but he did not have his heel drained.” Doctson has struggled to stay healthy during his NFL career. The 2016 first-rounder missed all of his rookie year because of Achilles trouble and encountered hamstring issues last year.

Redskins Rumors: Cousins, Doctson

May 22nd, 2017 at 11:04am CST by Zachary Links

Redskins president Bruce Allen says the team has maintained a dialogue with Kirk Cousins‘ agent (Twitter link via Josh Keim of ESPN.com). Allen said he remains optimistic they can reach a long-term deal.

The Redskins have been publicly telling everyone that things are pointing in the right direction with Cousins, but it seems like the two sides are still oceans apart on a potential extension. Earlier this year, the Redskins proposed a five-year deal worth $20MM annually, but Cousins rejected that in favor of playing out the season on his one-year, $24MM repeat franchise tender. If the Redskins were to franchise tag him for a third consecutive season, he’d make a whopping $34MM in 2018, so an average annual value of $20MM won’t be enough for him to give up his chance at free agency.

The deadline for franchise tagged players to sign extensions is on July 15th. It’s possible that the deadline will spur action, but if it does not, then the Redskins will have to wait until after the season has concluded to restart talks.

Here’s more out of D.C.:

Allen said he’s met with a dozen people about a front office job in Washington (Twitter link via Keim). He went on to say that he’d like to add two or three people to the front office in some capacity. The Redskins do not intend to hire a new GM, so it sounds like they’ll simply reorganize the front office with the addition of some new faces. Presumably, it will be Allen and owner Dan Snyder calling the shots.
Redskins coach Jay Gruden says that wide receiver Josh Doctson will be participating in full during OTAs. The TCU product played in only two games last year thanks to an Achilles injury.
The Redskins will not be relocating any of their outside linebackers to defensive end before camp starts.

NFC Notes: Vikings, Redskins, Eagles

February 24th, 2017 at 5:40pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Vikings general manager Rick Spielman hasn’t yet spoken with Adrian Peterson‘s agent regarding the running back’s future, but that will change at next week’s combine, tweets Jason Cole of Bleacher Report. Peterson is due a $6MM roster bonus March 11, two days after the market opens, and Spielman said Thursday that the seven-time Pro Bowler’s fate will become known prior to free agency. Spielman will also meet with the agent for cornerback Terence Newman next week, relays Cole. Newman is coming off his age-38 season, in which he totaled 38 tackles and an interception across 15 appearances (nine starts), and is on track to hit free agency. The 2016 campaign was Newman’s second in Minnesota, which re-upped him to a $3MM pact last March.

More on the Vikings and two other NFC franchises:

The likelihood is that the Redskins won’t retain safety DeAngelo Hall at his $5MM-plus cap hit for 2017, according to Rich Tandler of CSN Mid-Atlantic. The club will either release the 33-year-old, which would save $4.25MM, or keep him at a lesser rate, Tandler suggests. Hall sat out 13 games last season on account of a late-September ACL tear and has missed a combined 31 contests since 2014.
Wide receiver Josh Doctson, another member of the Redskins who wasn’t much of a factor in 2016, is making encouraging progress in his recovery from a strained right Achilles’ tendon, details Mike Jones of the Washington Post. Doctson hasn’t had any setbacks since doctors cleared him to run earlier this month, and the Redskins “are closely monitoring his progress” with fellow wideouts Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson set to reach the open market. After going 22nd in last year’s draft, Doctson missed all but two games and caught two passes as a rookie.
While Eagles pass rusher Connor Barwin has expressed a willingness to take a pay cut to remain in Philadelphia, it’s time for both sides to move on, opines Dave Zangaro of CSNPhilly.com. Barwin probably wouldn’t accept enough of a reduction from the $7.75MM he’s due next season to make keeping him worthwhile for the team, writes Zangaro, who notes that getting rid of the 30-year-old would open up more playing time for Vinny Curry. Overall, Barwin has been quite productive during his four-year stint with the Eagles, but his numbers declined last season in defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz‘s scheme. Thus, Zangaro argues that Barwin deserves to play in a defense that’s more suited to his abilities. The eight-year veteran won’t have any difficulty finding a job if the Eagles do let him go.
Although they had interest in Alterraun Verner when he was on the open market in 2015, the Vikings have not reached out to the cornerback’s reps at this point, per Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (Twitter link). Verner became a free agent when the Buccaneers released him Thursday.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Redskins Notes: Cousins, Gruden, Doctson

January 25th, 2017 at 10:30am CST by Sam Robinson

Although reports of a potential trade being on the table have surfaced in recent weeks, Jay Gruden expects Kirk Cousins to be back with the Redskins in 2017. “I totally anticipate him coming back to the Washington Redskins,” Gruden said, via JP Finlay of CSNMidAtlantic.com. Gruden said he’s texted back and forth with Cousins this offseason. Washington is in a similar situation with its starting quarterback compared to last year, although the franchise tag price will escalate to $23.94MM due to the team having used this on its passer in 2016. Cousins is thought to be targeting that $23.94MM threshold as an AAV goal, which would make him the third-highest-paid quarterback in the league on a per-year basis. Washington is projected to hold just more than $60MM in cap space — prior to any action on Cousins, of course.

Here’s more regarding the player who may soon become the Redskins’ franchise QB, along with more coming out of Washington.

A scenario in which the Redskins use the tag and then trade Cousins would cost the 49ers — mentioned as one of the prospective suitors, especially if former Washington OC Kyle Shanahan takes the HC job as expected — more than the No. 2 overall pick, Mike Jones of the Washington Post writes. Considering the Redskins’ run of quarterbacks since their 1991 Super Bowl title, and even the team’s second and third Super Bowl championships came with second-tier veterans at quarterback, Jones argues Cousins is a known commodity compared to the alternative of attempting a reboot without such a passer. Regardless, if the team pursued that, Washington should be able to ask for a first-, a second-, and possibly a third-round pick, Jones writes.
Gruden having to go with may his third or fourth choice in the form of Greg Manusky as DC puts his fate in Washington in the coordinator’s hands to a degree, Rich Tandler of CSNMidAtlantic.com notes. Tandler expects Gruden to be on the hot seat entering 2017 thanks to a seven-loss 2015 season being his high-water mark in three years. The OC behind Washington’s No. 3-ranked offense is now in Los Angeles, and Gruden will be counting on Manusky — who takes command of a 28th-ranked defense — and GM Scot McGloughan to provide defensive improvement and thus a long-term path for him in D.C. Cousins figures to factor into this equation, too.
Josh Doctson has not progressed especially well in his recovery from the Achilles’ tendon injuries that hijacked his rookie season, Jones reports. Gruden said the wideout hasn’t received clearance to run without restrictions but added the team will take it slow with its 2016 first-rounder. Doctson should be needed this season, with the Redskins likely to lose at least one, and possibly both, of their veteran duo of Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson in free agency.
Jordan Reed won’t need offseason shoulder surgery after seeing a separated shoulder sideline him late in the season, Gruden said (via Jones).

Redskins Placing WR Josh Doctson On IR

October 21st, 2016 at 2:37pm CST by Zachary Links

The Redskins are placing wide receiver Josh Doctson on injured reserve, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Facebook). That means Doctson will be out through at least Week 14. The team was hoping to have Doctson back for Week 10, but his Achilles pain proved to be too much.

“We saw another specialist, a couple of them now, with all the work that we’ve put in, we thought it was best to immobilize him for a little bit of time and see if that can help,” Gruden said (via Conor Orr of NFL.com). “By the time he gets out of the boot, then he’ll need time to see if he’s ready and hopefully we’ll get him back for the last, maybe, two games of the year. … He could be out for the year. He could not be. I don’t know yet, we’ll see how he is. Big thing is to just get him healthy. Based on all the research we’ve done, we thought this was best for him basically.”

Doctson appeared in two games this season and caught two passes for 66 yards. The Redskins had high hopes for Doctson this year and many believed that he would leapfrog DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon in the offense. In the long-term, Doctson still figures to be a focal part of Washington’s passing attack, but they may have to wait until 2017 before they can get him back on the field.

To take Doctson’s place, the Redskins promoted wide receiver Maurice Harris. The 4-2 Redskins travel to Detroit on Sunday to take on the 3-3 Lions.

Latest On Redskins WR Josh Doctson

October 17th, 2016 at 8:39pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Redskins first-round receiver Josh Doctson could be a candidate for injured reserve as he continues to deal with an Achilles injury, coach Jay Gruden told reporters, including Master Tesfatsion of the Washington Post (Twitter link). Gruden indicated that Docston will be sidelined at least through Washington’s bye week, meaning the pass-catcher wouldn’t return to the field until Week 10, at earliest, according to Liz Clarke of the Washington Post.

“I think it’s a possibility, we’ll see,” said Gruden about Doctson going on IR. “I think we send him to another doctor, get another opinion. I think the plan right now is probably immobilize him for a little bit just to take complete stress off of it for a little bit of time and see where that leads us. IR — maybe, maybe not. We don’t know yet.”

Earlier this month, Gruden had similary expressed a hope that the Redskins wouldn’t have to shelve Doctson for the year. “We’ll have to wait and see if this thing gets any better the next week or so and go from there,” said Gruden at the time. “I hate to put him on IR and then he’s better tomorrow, you know what I mean, because he’s such a valuable, big play type guy. We’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and see what happens.”

The 22nd overall pick in this year’s draft, Doctson has only managed to appear in two of the Redskins’ five games to this point. In those two contests, Doctson has hauled in two-of-six targets for 66 yards, but hasn’t found the end zone just yet. Washington isn’t wanting for wide receivers without Doctson, as the club still boasts DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garcon, and Jamison Crowder.

Josh Doctson Likely To Avoid IR

October 9th, 2016 at 4:45pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Redskins first-round receiver Josh Doctson didn’t play in today’s win against the Ravens, and he’s expected to be sidelined for several more weeks as he deals with an Achilles injury, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). However, Doctson is not expected to be placed on injured reserve.

Earlier this week, Washington head coach Jon Gruden didn’t rule out an eventual trip to IR for Doctson. We’ll have to wait and see if this thing gets any better the next week or so and go from there,” said Gruden. “I hate to put him on IR and then he’s better tomorrow, you know what I mean, because he’s such a valuable, big play type guy. We’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and see what happens.”

The 22nd overall pick in this year’s draft, Doctson has only managed to appear in two of the Redskins’ five games to this point. In those two contests, Doctson has hauled in two-of-six targets for 66 yards, but hasn’t found the end zone just yet. Washington isn’t wanting for wide receivers without Doctson, as the club still boasts DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garcon, and Jamison Crowder.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NFC Notes: Doctson, Cards, DGB, Saints

October 7th, 2016 at 8:47pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

An Achilles issue continues to bother Redskins first-round receiver Josh Doctson, who will miss his third straight game Sunday, and head coach Jay Gruden didn’t rule out an eventual trip to injured reserve Friday. “We’ll have to wait and see if this thing gets any better the next week or so and go from there,” he said (via JP Finlay of CSN Mid-Atlantic). “I hate to put him on IR and then he’s better tomorrow, you know what I mean, because he’s such a valuable, big play type guy. We’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and see what happens.” Doctson is dealing with pain when he “pushes off,” according to Gruden, which Finlay notes is especially problematic for a receiver. The 22nd pick from TCU appeared in the Redskins’ first two games, catching two passes for 66 yards, but he previously missed all of training camp and the preseason.

Injury Updates: Bosa, Pouncey, Brown, Doctson

October 1st, 2016 at 8:50am CST by Ben Levine

Redskins coach Jay Gruden may sit rookie wideout Josh Doctson, who is currently struggling through an Achilles injury. After having hauled in a single catch for 57 yards through two games, the first-rounder was a late scratch prior to last weekend’s game against the Giants. The injury first popped up all the way back during May’s OTAs.

“We’ve had all of the tests, and there is really nothing there that we should be concerned about from a long-term problem,” Gruden told ESPN.com’s John Keim. “It’s just, he is dealing with some pain. We don’t know why it is, but we have to try and figure out what it is and get it fixed.

“It could be a possibility or a time that we put him down for a couple more weeks or a couple more days like we’re taking him off today, probably sit him down tomorrow and see if that helps a little bit.”

Let’s check out some more injury news from around the NFL…

Chargers first-round pick Joey Bosa has been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Saints, but the defensive end is confident that he’ll be making his debut very soon. “I’m very close,” Bosa told ESPN.com’s Eric D. Williams. “We’re getting there. We’re just being smart. There’s no point to rush someone back, and then you get hurt and you’re out for longer when we’ve got a really long season ahead of us.” The third-overall pick has been hampered by a hamstring injury.
Dolphins lineman Mike Pouncey will return to practice next week, and ESPN.com’s James Walker says the coaching staff is confident the veteran could play in next week’s game against the Titans. The Pro Bowl center has sat out his team’s first four games with a hip injury.
Texans left tackle Duane Brown has been ruled out of this Sunday’s contest against the Titans, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. The Pro Bowler is recovering from an injured quad muscle.
In case you missed it, Bills wideout Sammy Watkins was placed on the injured reserve yesterday.