DeSean Jackson made his return to the field in Week 9 for the first time since the season opener where he suffered a tear in his hamstring. The wide receiver has been sitting out since leaving the Washington Redskins and Kirk Cousins without their leading catcher on the field. Jackson made his return against the Patriots and did not have the game everyone was hoping for leaving the receiver frustrated with the game plan.
Jackson's stat line was quiet in Week 9 as he caught just 3 passes for 15 yards while being targeted six times. That placed him fourth on the team in targets for that game as Pierre Garcon, Jamison Crowder and Jordan Reed ranked above him. Jackson was not happy about that. Despite being his first game back from injury, the receiver did not understand why he was not thrown to more in the loss.
"With the opportunities I get, I think I'll be able to do a good job with that," Jackson said, via the Washington Post. "I can't call the plays for me, I can't throw the ball to myself, so when the coaches and the quarterback call my number, I'll be there and doing what I need to do."
Cousins told the media that he respects what Jackson said noting that he is a competitor and always wants the ball. Right now, the quarterback simply has more chemistry built in with other players that he does with Jackson, but the more time the two spend on the field together, the more that will improve. According to head coach Jay Gruden via the Post, Jackson's issues were more because he was not on the field and fully ready to play after missing seven games.
"The problem is he wasn't here in OTAs, he missed a lot of camp and he missed the first [seven] games," Gruden said via the Post, "so to have the cohesiveness with the quarterback right out of the chute would probably be a little bit wishful thinking."
Jackson has a lot of time to make up for. The wide receiver is facing a lot of questions about his future considering the Redskins could be aiming to dump some salaries in the offseason. The wide receiver is a $9.25 million cap hit this season and his injuries do not ease that pain. If the Redskins look to rebuild, he could be the first out.
The run game is another area that must pick up for the Redskins as players like Alfred Morris fight for a new contract. Both Morris and Matt Jones have struggled heavily this season and while there was hope that the presence of Jackson would change that, things were much the same against the Patriots. If Morris does not step up soon, he could be heading out of DC sooner rather than later.
