Washington Commanders

Ryan Grant working hard to make a dent at Redskins' crowded slot WR spot

Published Jun. 30, 2015 3:37 p.m. ET

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The most interesting position battle to monitor during the Washington Redskins' training camp might be at the slot wide receiver position. Last offseason, the Redskins signed Andre Roberts to a big contract to man the slot. After, they brought in late-round draft pick Ryan Grant and followed up in the 2015 NFL Draft with fourth-round wide receiver Jamison Crowder.

It was both Grant and Crowder who made noise during the Redskins' spring practices. Roberts was not heard of much among those around the team's practices. Roberts may have the contract, but the production hasn't followed. According to Pro Football Focus, in 2014, he caught just 38-of-68 targets for 453 yards and led all slot receivers with seven drops. It's also important to keep in mind that Roberts was brought in by former general manager Bruce Allen, who has since been replaced by Scot McCloughan.

The three-man competition will likely last throughout the entirety of camp, and each receiver figures to be given an equally opportunity to stand out. According to head coach Jay Gruden, it's up to Grant to take advantage of every repetition he gets with the starters.

“He’s trying to prove that he deserves some reps and every time he gets a rep he takes advantage of it, and that’s the one thing we’re trying to get across these guys,” Gruden said, per Redskins Blog. “You may get 10 reps a day in practice. Make sure you take advantage of those reps, and Ryan is one of those guys who takes advantage of every rep he gets. Even the reps that he doesn’t get the ball thrown to him, you can see he’s working his hardest coming in and out of breaks and getting open and fighting to get off bump and run or what have you. So very, very, very impressed with Ryan and [he’s] done an excellent job, but he has taken advantage of his reps so far.”

Two of the biggest knocks on Roberts' 2014 season as the slot receiver were his ability to separate from coverage and his ability to hold on to the pass. According to Gruden, hese are two areas where Grant excels in.

“Ryan Grant, he’s awesome, man. He really is,” Gruden said. “He runs every route exactly like you tell him to run it. He doesn’t make any mental mistakes. He’s got big strong hands.”

Grant made noise last preseason when he turned 14 receptions into 165 yards and two touchdowns. Another strong preseason and training camp could win him the slot receiver job outright.

(h/t Redskins Blog)

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