Why even consider bringing in another vet WR?
As it is we look like we'll have to release at least one promising young receiver.
Not to mention scrambling to get snaps for the 6 that do stick on the 53.
I mean, it's not as if we're one vet WR from a deep playoff run, is it?
Jared Goff.
Our current WRs are:
Robert Woods - Never had more than 699 yards in a season and has missed games in 3 out of 4 years in the NFL
Tavon Austin - Hasn't proven he can be a legitimate threat as a pure WR
Cooper Kupp - He's a rookie, so he might take time to adjust to the NFL
Josh Reynolds - See above except he's more likely than Kupp to take time to adjust
Pharoh/Thomas/Spruce - All second-year WRs who didn't show much last year
My opinions of these guys are:
Robert Woods - Underrated because he wasn't a good fit with Tyrod Taylor and the Bills
Tavon Austin - Has the potential and athleticism to be a legitimate deep threat
Cooper Kupp - Extremely NFL ready and should be able to make an immediate impact
Josh Reynolds - Likely going to need time to develop but can be a legitimate outside the numbers threat down the line
Pharoh/Thomas/Spruce - Thomas can be a legitimate deep threat and the other two can be reliable slot WRs
However, I am an optimist. Those are optimistic projections. I am hoping for the best, but we've tended not to get the best outcome at WR over the past decade.
How many times have we counted on a young WR to improve and paid for it?(Donnie Avery, Brian Quick, Tavon Austin, Stedman Bailey, Greg Salas, Austin Pettis, etc.) How many times have we counted on a rookie to contribute and paid for it?(Donnie Avery, Brian Quick, Tavon Austin, Stedman Bailey, Greg Salas, Austin Pettis, Pharoh Cooper, etc.)
Thus, I don't want to hang Goff out to dry if the worst case scenario happens again. Decker has averaged 1000+ yards and 10+ TDs per 16 games over the past 6 years. He has produced with Tim Tebow, Peyton Manning, Geno Smith, and Ryan Fitzpatrick. He's a big-bodied WR who can run any route, play any WR spot, and make plays in the red-zone. Woods, Decker, and Kupp could all move all over the formation when on the field. All three are capable of playing any WR spot and will be where they're supposed to be when running routes.
That is why I want Decker. I recognize that he might push Cooper or Spruce or Thomas (or more than one) off the roster if he makes the team. If that happens, so be it. It's a competition. May the best man win. The truth is that those guys might prove not to be anything more than JAGs. I hope they're better than that, but the odds that they are JAGs are far greater than the odds that they're as good or better than Decker.
Now, if McVay is comfortable with those guys and confident in them, I won't complain. I trust his evaluations. But it would make me a lot more confident in our WRs if we had another proven vet. I'm worried that Goff, like Bradford, is going to get stuck with an under-performing WR corp that will hinder his development.
