Hello and welcome back to this installment of PD Smash Sports. In this article, I want to talk about the quarterback position and the value of an elite wide receiver to a quarterback’s development.
As we all know having a good wide receiver can help even the best of quarterbacks, but as I watched the Cowboys and Saints game, I realized how much Dak’s development is tied to Amari Cooper’s play and availability. When Amari is good, Dak is good, when Amari is bad or not playing, Dak is just average. Then when I did research into this observation, I found that the majority of quarterbacks who break out and become stars had an elite wide receiver alongside them. Josh Allen only turned elite when Stefon Diggs arrived, Kyler Murray only became an MVP candidate when DeAndre Hopkins came to town, Tom Brady wasn’t the most valuable player until Randy Moss was acquired by the Patriots.
However, with all the players I just mentioned, I don’t think there is any arguing that if or after the receiver left, the quarterbacks mentioned became or would become significantly less talented. And I think that is because an elite wide receiver is one of the best things for a quarterback’s development. However, once a quarterback is developed they no longer need an elite wide receiver to retain that talent.
A great example of this is Deshaun Watson. Watson entered the league with DeAndre Hopkins as his number one receiver and it helped him tremendously with his growth. However, when DeAndre Hopkins was traded to the Arizona Cardinals, Watson still led the league in passing.
Of course, there are a few exceptions to this rule. However, those players have some extraordinary quality about them. For example, Lamar has a wide receiver core made up of pass catchers that would be considered good number two receivers at best in almost any offense. However, since Lamar Jackson is such a gifted runner, he overcame the lack of receiver talent.
In the end, whether or not your team needs a star wide receiver is up to the individual franchise and year. However, there’s no denying the importance of a star quarterback and one of the fastest ways to develop said quarterback is to pair them alongside an elite wide receiver.
Thank you Smash Fans for sticking with me until the end. If you want to talk about this topic or any other topic sports-related, please email me or text me using the information on the contact page. If you want to support me even more, please consider following my Spotify as well as subscribing to my youtube channel and blog for weekly podcasts and articles. Until next time, PD Smash signing off.