Washington receiver Josh Doctson, a first-round pick in 2016, hasn’t done much in two NFL seasons. He hopes to do a lot more in year three.
“Every new year I’m looking to be better. I have been better,” Doctson said Saturday at a football camp at TCU, via Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “Just off the field maturing, off the field understanding how to be a NFL player. There’s just a lot that goes into this game that people overlook when they first get into the league. I lost my first year [to injury], last year I was able to play and then this year looking to do huge things.”
As Davison points out, Doctson hasn’t had a 100-yard receiving game, and he hasn’t caught more than four passes in any one game. He had 502 receiving yards last season, with a single-game high of 81 yards, against the Saints.
But 2017 was still definitely better than 2016, given that he appeared in only two games as a rookie. Last year, Doctson appeared in all 16 games, with 14 starts. And he’s hoping for a fresh start with new quarterback Alex Smith.
“It’s been amazing,” Doctson said regarding working with Smith. “It’s been fun. It’s just been a fun OTAs and minicamp. I’ve been there for two years, but this year stands out to me much more than the previous two just because I’m getting older and moving toward the veteran group. And just the guys, the chemistry with both offense and defense, we compete our butts off every day.”
They’ll need to compete their butts off in 2018, or some butts will be on the hot seat. And Doctson could be one of the guys on that list, if he doesn’t begin to justify the first-round faith the team had in him.