WASHINGTON — The group might only be together for a single season, but it’s hard to not to be impressed by the platoon of pass-catchers the Redskins have assembled.

As far as traditional receivers go, the depth chart features, in some order, Pierre Garcon, DeSean Jackson, Josh Doctson, Jamison Crowder and, for now, Rashad Ross and Ryan Grant. It remains to be seen what kind of role, if any, Ross and Grant will have in Washington in 2016, but the rest should have key roles in the team’s offense.

Andre Roberts was released Tuesday morning, as he underperformed since signing with the Redskins two offseasons ago.

#Redskins make Andre Roberts move official. His departure saves $3 million against salary cap for 2016. A contract that just didn't work out — Brian McNally (@bmcnally14) May 17, 2016

That’s an impressive group, and one that should be considered one of the league’s best, but that’s only part of Washington’s aerial firepower. Add in tight end Jordan Reed, who is among the league’s top at the position, as well as whatever contributions Vernon Davis, Niles Paul, Logan Paulsen and Derek Carrier can offer, and suddenly Kirk Cousins’ biggest problem is finding targets for everybody.

Looking simply at the top end of the group, it’s hard to find a better four-man group in the NFL than Garcon, Jackson, Doctson and Reed. Former Redskins GM and current NFL analyst Charley Casserly says that group is the league’s best four-receiver combination, and he could be right.

When #Redskins go to 3 WR's, If Dotson is on field with Jackson, Garcon & TE Reed. They will have best 4 receiver combo in NFL @nflnetwork — Charley Casserly (@CharleyCasserly) May 16, 2016

Garcon tallied 72 catches for 777 yards and 6 touchdowns last year. Jackson struggled with a hamstring injury early on, but he still managed 30 catches for 528 yards — his 17.6 yards per catch were fifth in the NFL — and 4 touchdowns. Reed had the best season of the bunch, breaking out with 87 catches, 952 yards and 11 touchdowns, all team-highs. And many think Doctson was the best receiver in the 2016 draft class.

There are three teams that can really make a case to compete with the Redskins’ top four pass-catchers: the Houston Texans, Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals.

Houston is in a similar boat as Washington, in that it’s bringing a first-round pick into an already strong group of receivers. The Texans selected Will Fuller one pick before the Redskins took Doctson, actually trading with the Redskins to do so, and they’re adding the Notre Dame star to a stocked cast of DeAndre Hopkins (111 catches, 1,521 yards, 11 touchdowns last season), Cecil Shorts (42 catches, 484 yards, 2 touchdowns) and Jaelen Strong (14 catches, 161 yards, 3 touchdowns). The numbers aren’t overly impressive for Shorts and Strong, but they should improve considerably this year now that: 1) Brock Osweiler offers stability at quarterback and 2) Nate Washington has moved on and won’t take away targets.

As for tight ends, the Texans will likely split time between C.J. Fiedorowicz (17 catches, 167 yards, 1 touchdown) and Ryan Griffin (20 catches, 251 yards, 2 touchdowns). Houston’s depth isn’t as strong as Washington’s, but Strong and Fuller could make for lethal complements to Hopkins, who is a more talented receiver than anybody the Redskins have on their roster.

Carolina entered the 2015 season with one of the most maligned receiving corps in the league, but eventual MVP Cam Newton turned that group into a versatile, deep stable. Tight end Greg Olsen led the Panthers with 77 catches for 1,104 yards and 7 touchdowns. Ted Ginn Jr. struggled with drops but still finished with 44 catches, 739 yards and 10 touchdowns. Jerricho Cotchery (39 catches, 485 yards, 3 touchdowns), Devin Funchess (31 catches, 473 yards, 5 touchdowns) and Philly Brown (31 catches, 447 yards, 4 touchdowns) all contributed throughout the season, and this was all after the Panthers lost their top receiver, Kelvin Benjamin (73 catches, 1,008 yards, 9 touchdowns in 2014) for the year.

Cotchery is gone, but Olsen, Ginn, Funchess and Brown are all back, and when Benjamin is factored in, that’s a deadly group. It also doesn’t hurt to have the reigning NFL MVP in Newton, as his athleticism makes life difficult for defenses.

A season ago, Arizona boasted three 800-yard receivers in Larry Fitzgerald (109 catches, 1,215 yards, 9 touchdowns), John Brown (65 catches, 1,003 yards, 7 touchdowns) and Michael Floyd (52 catches, 849 yards, 6 touchdowns). All three of those receivers will again be wearing Cardinals uniforms in 2016, as will tight ends Darren Fells (21 catches, 311 yards, 3 touchdowns), J.J. Nelson (11 catches, 299 yards, 2 touchdowns) and Jermaine Gresham (18 catches, 223 yards, 1 touchdown).

But the Cardinals offer another weapon in the passing game: running back David Johnson, who caught 36 passes for 457 yards and 4 touchdowns in a strong rookie season last year. It’s a different look, but that’s four players who contributed 3,524 receiving yards and 26 touchdowns last year.

Other teams that could boast strong top-fours are the Denver Broncos, New York Giants (if Victor Cruz can return to form) and Green Bay Packers.

Perhaps even more promising for the Redskins is their depth after that top four. Crowder was the team’s third-leading receiver last year, hauling in 59 catches for 604 yards and 2 touchdowns, and Davis was one of the league’s best pass-catching tight ends for years. As recently as 2013, Davis had 52 catches for 850 yards and 13 touchdowns. Paul enjoyed a breakout season in 2014, catching 39 passes for 507 yards and a touchdown, before suffering an injury that forced him to miss all of 2015.

There’s no way to officially measure the best of the bunch. One could easily make the case for the Redskins, Texans, Panthers, Cardinals or others as having the best receiver group in the league. But Casserly’s point is Washington offers a four-man group that is among the league’s best, and one that can be absolutely devastating to opposing defenses, especially if Cousins replicates his stellar run in 2015.

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