Welcome back, Crowder! Jamison Crowder is back with the Commanders, which is a nice reunion, but there’s wonder what it means: is he here to return punts, or is Terry McLaurin more banged up than we know, or something else?
“I don’t think it has anything to do with Terry – I think it has more to do with Dax Milne,” JP Finlay said Wednesday after the Commanders re-signed Crowder to their practice squad. “If you look at true slot guys on this roster, who do you love? Samuel lines up there a lot, but he’s not a traditional slot guy. They move their receivers around so much they’ve broken the mold, but he has to be better than Milne.”
JP remember a strong start to Crowder’s first tenure in DC, but he hasn’t returned punts full-time since 2017 and hasn’t played a full season since 2019, so maybe we need to temper expectations…until a need arises on special teams?
“They have an extra guy on the roster in case Terry’s injury lingers, but let’s be real: I can go out on the football field right now, and catch it,” BMitch replied. “I might not be able to return it, but I can damn sure read it, figure out where guys are, and catch it. Once you’re in that mold, you’re in it, and he has damn good hands, so any time they need him to go out and catch a punt, he can do it. The whole thing is knowing the average of a punter, lining up there, being ready to come up or go back, and when you catch it, go with it – if you decide you’re going to return it, don’t dance with it.”
Indeed, BMitch believes the signing is a combo of punt return need and legit slot receiver, and thinks the Commanders are hearing the whispers and made a move to shore up two spots at a low risk.
“Why not try it? He’s not going to cost you much,” BMitch said. “What if that turf toe lingers? Having Crowder makes things easier because you can put anyone else outside, and in an Eric Bieniemy offense, Crowder could be a menace to people. If he plays his absolute best, he will outplay any money they gave him, and if he doesn’t, it won’t kill you.”
Take a listen to BMitch & Finlay’s entire discussion about Crowder’s return above!