Josh Doctson needs more snaps. The Redskins’ second-year wide receiver has served a limited role through five games, including during Sunday’s 26-24 victory over the San Francisco 49ers, in which he participated in just 19 of Washington’s 74 snaps on offense.
“We are going to actively expand [his role], without a doubt,” Gruden said. “He didn’t get as many reps as I would like at the end of the day when you look at the numbers, but it’s our job. We have got to get him in there more and expand it.”
Doctson, 24, once again flashed his potential in a reserve role Sunday. He scored his second career touchdown during the opening drive on an 11-yard reception, his only catch in the game. Two of Doctson’s four catches this season have resulted in touchdowns.
That’s in sharp contrast to the team’s other wide receivers — Terrelle Pryor Sr., Jamison Crowder and Ryan Grant — who all played at least 54 percent of the offense’s snaps against the 49ers. Pryor had three catches for 23 yards on 61 snaps; Crowder touched the ball four times (three receptions) for 26 total yards on 53 snaps; and Grant had three catches for 39 yards on 40 snaps.
Gruden has often said Doctson’s role would expand once he displayed consistency at practice, which appears to be the case at this point. He has been hampered by injuries through his first two seasons with the team that have stunted his growth, namely a lingering Achilles’ injury that kept him out for all but two games during his rookie year.
Doctson returned during the offseason receiving reps strictly at the “Z” position, which is typically the No. 1 receiver and lines up on the strong side of the formation, and he had an impressive training camp until a hamstring injury kept him sidelined for most of the preseason. While he has been on the injury report for four of the team’s five games with hamstring and shoulder injuries, Doctson has played in every game this year and received snaps at both the “X,” the receiver on the weak side of the formation, and “Z” outside receiver positions.
“We still have to realize he’s in his second year and last year he didn’t practice a lot,” Gruden said. “Before we start throwing more on his plate, we’ve got to make sure he can handle the little bit that’s on his plate already, which I know he can. I know he can play some ‘X’ and ‘Z’ now. Now it’s a matter of getting him out there at practice, making sure he can handle the workload and the mental load of it. We will definitely put him out there at X at some point here soon.”
There are certain personnel groupings geared for Doctson — including in red-zone packages in which the Redskins like to use his big frame — but Gruden said there are other groupings in which he rotates with the other receivers.
“We just have got to do a better job of the personnel groups that he is not a starter in to get him in,” Gruden said.
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