With Michael Gallup likely to miss the first couple of games and with James Washington breaking his foot, is there reason to be concerned with the lack of veteran depth at the WR position entering this season? – MICHAEL CHAVEZ / LEMOORE, CA
Nick: Yes, you have to be concerned. I was concerned about the wide receivers before Michael Gallup said a few days ago that he wouldn't be ready for Week 1 and before Washington got hurt in Monday's practice. And now you've got both scenarios. Yeah, it's concerning to say the least. I'm all for letting the young guys develop and try not to get progress-stoppers in here but at some point, you must get some experience. So yeah, I'm looking at all the veteran options and I would sign a guy to get in here ASAP. CeeDee Lamb needs some help and I'm just not seeing guys like Simi Fehoko, T.J. Vasher and Noah Brown ready to handle the 2-3-4 spots. And maybe there's a guy that I'm forgetting, but that only seems to make my point even further.
Patrik: To say I'm concerned would be akin to saying the surface of the sun is simply balmy. The decision to trade away Amari Cooper looms that much larger now, particularly given the loss of Cedrick Wilson in free agency. The signing of Washington was supposed to operate as an insurance policy for the early-season absence of Michael Gallup, but now Washington will join him in being unavailable on Sept. 11 and some time beyond. This leaves Noah Brown as the sole receiver outside of CeeDee Lamb with any noteworthy NFL experience, and while there have been impressive plays made by the youth movement at the position during training camp -- e.g., T.J. Vasher, Simi Fehoko, Dennis Houston -- there is no answer to the question of who'll be the WR2 in September (or WR3, WR4, WR5 etc.). I'd say it's time to go and grab another veteran but, this time, one that's more proven than Washington was ahead of that signing.
