After starting the season on injured reserve, the Minnesota Vikings are designating Josh Doctson for return and he will be eligible to play in Week 10.
Josh Doctson was drafted by the Washington Redskins in 2016, the same year the Minnesota Vikings drafted Laquon Treadwell.
Doctson spent his first two seasons in the NFL with Kirk Cousins as his quarterback and they generated a decent rapport together. With Doctson officially being designated for return from injured reserve on Wednesday, Cousins could have a familiar face on the field with him from his days in Washington.
Doctson’s numbers with the Redskins are nothing eye-popping. He had 1,100 receiving yards and eight touchdowns during his three years in Washington. Now granted, the Redskins’ offense has always struggled, but based on the hype around the former first-round pick when he was coming out of the draft, he has yet to meet his expectations.
After Washington didn’t include him on their final 53-man roster this year, Minnesota signed Doctson right before the start of the regular season.
Unfortunately, the Vikings had to place him on injured reserve just nine days later with a leg injury. Soon, he will get to step onto the field for the first time in a Minnesota uniform as he will be eligible to appear in a game starting in Week 10.
The Vikings could use some more wide receiver depth, so this activation comes at a great time. With Adam Thielen dealing with a leg injury and Chad Beebe on injured reserve, Stefon Diggs and rookie Bisi Johnson have been the team’s only consistent receivers.
Minnesota should have Thielen back this week for the team’s matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs, but it’s necessary to have added depth and it’s a plus to have a familiar face like Doctson for Cousins to throw to.
Doctson could help in more ways than just providing depth. He’s a bigger receiver, standing at 6-foot-2 and weighing in at 205 pounds. In addition to his size, he’s a speedy receiver and is also very shifty.
Doctson runs crisp routes and he can control his body in the air to make contested catches. Look for him to be a solid deep threat and could possibly contribute in the red zone for the Vikings once he eventually gets on the field this season.