ASHBURN, Va. -- The question focused on receiver Brian Quick but quickly segued into a dilemma the Washington Redskins hope to have: Who dresses on Sundays?
The Redskins let DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon exit via free agency. That doesn't mean they will automatically drop off at receiver. Perhaps they will, but they do have two receivers in Terrelle Pryor and Josh Doctson to remain productive.
The Redskins also added the 6-foot-3 Quick, but he's no lock to make the final roster -- he signed a one-year deal for $695,000 with only $80,000 guaranteed. Redskins coach Jay Gruden noted a red-zone catch Quick made Tuesday.
"It's just a matter of getting him on the field and finding out what he is good at. He can run, he is big, he is physical," Gruden said.
Quick, a second-round pick in 2012, needs to learn what to do in the run game, Gruden said. Even then, Quick will have to prove he deserves a spot. He's coming off his most productive season, with 41 catches for 564 yards and three touchdowns with the Los Angeles Rams. In his first four seasons, he caught a combined 64 passes.
As he talked about Quick, Gruden said if they had a game today -- which they don't considering there's still a little more than four months before the opener -- they'd have a tough time knowing which five would be active.
"It would be a really, really hard decision right now," Gruden said. "Special teams will become part of that obviously but we have got great options right now and it's a matter of keeping them healthy."
Here's a quick look at why:
Jamison Crowder: The more comfortable he gets on the field the more we see of his quickness and shiftiness. He puts pressure on corners to play tight upon the catch or he'll slip past for more yards. Wednesday, he caught one pass in the red zone because of his route-running combined with quickness combined with knowing where to sit against zone coverage. And he used a hesitation move to freeze safety Su'a Cravens on another route in the end zone. Crowder will play outside and in the slot this season. There's a reason coaches love him.
Terrelle Pryor: Signed as an unrestricted free agent; provides size and speed and a good red-zone target (nine of 14 receptions in this area for Cleveland last year). In two practices open to the media, he's been in position to make more plays on deep balls than inside the 20. He can be effective running across the middle, too. With Washington, he'll have other players to draw attention away from him and create better running lanes after the catch. He'll likely start opposite Crowder.
Josh Doctson: Has looked solid in portions of practices open to the media, though he was held out of full-team work Wednesday (Gruden said it had nothing to do with his Achilles). Teammates have raved about Doctson after workouts, dating to late March, but he still has a lot to prove. He'll be one of their top three receivers.
Ryan Grant: Worked with the first offense when Doctson sat out, entering as the No. 3 receiver along with Pryor and Crowder. Grant turned Norman around on a double move, creating an opening to the inside, during Wednesday's practice. There's never been a question about how he runs his routes or how he looks from May to September. Rather, he needs to produce during the season. The coaches remain confident in him.
Maurice Harris: He did a nice job at the end of last season, after being promoted from the practice squad. He offers good size (though with Pryor and Doctson, that's not as needed as it was last season). Harris can run routes from the slot as well as on the outside. He does well working toward the sidelines.
Robert Davis: The Redskins' sixth-round pick offers size (6-foot-3) and speed (4.44 in the 40-yard dash); indeed, he broke free down the seam, escaping press jam coverage by corner Dashaun Phillips. Davis is a raw route runner, so he won't be needed this year, but his development could be a reason why one of the other receivers is either cut or opens on the practice squad.
