09-04-2019, 11:36 PM
If last year is any indication, new Vikings receiver Josh Doctson can be of use to former Washington Redskins teammate Kirk Cousins as soon as Sunday’s season opener against the Falcons.
“It can be done,” Cousins, the Vikings quarterback, said Wednesday, two days after the Vikings signed Doctson.
“Aldrick Robinson came in [before Week 3 last year] and contributed right away.”
Robinson was signed last September for his speed and past chemistry with Cousins in Washington. Six days later, he caught one pass for nine yards in the Week 3 loss to Buffalo. Four days after that, he caught two touchdowns — one more than Laquon Treadwell snagged in his entire Vikings career — in prime time on the road against the Rams.
Doctson comes to Minnesota as a taller, more well-rounded receiver with first-round pedigree. The Vikings wanted to draft him in 2016, but Washington selected him one spot before the Vikings settled for Treadwell.
“I thought I was going to be a Viking coming out,” Doctson said Wednesday. “So being in this building feels good.”
The Vikings didn’t consult Cousins before signing Doctson. But Cousins did go to offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski to vouch for Doctson’s abilities and work ethic.
One of those abilities is a vertical leap that’s paired nicely with a 6-3 frame. A torn Achilles’ tendon wiped out all but two games of his rookie season, but he caught 35 passes for 502 yards and six touchdowns in 2017, his only full season with Cousins.
“One of his lead traits was his vertical jump, his ability to catch the ball at a high point in the air,” Cousins said. “But he was a fully developed receiver too. I don’t feel like he was a one-trick pony.”
Doctson said the Vikings’ new scheme already feels familiar.
“That’s probably the most pleasant thing,” he said. “It’s been easy for me so far. A lot of the same concepts. Familiar routes. Just kind of different verbiage. So, it’s been kind of easy.”
http://www.startribune.com/vikings-quart...559389522/
“It can be done,” Cousins, the Vikings quarterback, said Wednesday, two days after the Vikings signed Doctson.
“Aldrick Robinson came in [before Week 3 last year] and contributed right away.”
Robinson was signed last September for his speed and past chemistry with Cousins in Washington. Six days later, he caught one pass for nine yards in the Week 3 loss to Buffalo. Four days after that, he caught two touchdowns — one more than Laquon Treadwell snagged in his entire Vikings career — in prime time on the road against the Rams.
Doctson comes to Minnesota as a taller, more well-rounded receiver with first-round pedigree. The Vikings wanted to draft him in 2016, but Washington selected him one spot before the Vikings settled for Treadwell.
“I thought I was going to be a Viking coming out,” Doctson said Wednesday. “So being in this building feels good.”
The Vikings didn’t consult Cousins before signing Doctson. But Cousins did go to offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski to vouch for Doctson’s abilities and work ethic.
One of those abilities is a vertical leap that’s paired nicely with a 6-3 frame. A torn Achilles’ tendon wiped out all but two games of his rookie season, but he caught 35 passes for 502 yards and six touchdowns in 2017, his only full season with Cousins.
“One of his lead traits was his vertical jump, his ability to catch the ball at a high point in the air,” Cousins said. “But he was a fully developed receiver too. I don’t feel like he was a one-trick pony.”
Doctson said the Vikings’ new scheme already feels familiar.
“That’s probably the most pleasant thing,” he said. “It’s been easy for me so far. A lot of the same concepts. Familiar routes. Just kind of different verbiage. So, it’s been kind of easy.”
http://www.startribune.com/vikings-quart...559389522/