In a league where passing reigns king, it might seem a bit surprising that veteran wide receiver Michael Crabtree is still out on the open market.
Crabtree was cut by the Baltimore Ravens all the way back in February and has generated very little interest ever since. No, Crabtree did not become the receiver many felt he would be when he was drafted 10 years ago, and he also may have lost a step, but there are still some teams out there who could use Crabtree in their receiving corp.
Here are four clubs who could consider signing Crabtree last minute.
4. New York Giants
The Giants' receiving corps is a mess right now.
Yes, Sterling Shepard seems to be making good progress in his return from the fractured thumb he suffered earlier in training camp, but Golden Tate will miss the first four games of the season due to a PED suspension and Corey Coleman is out for the entire 2019 campaign.
Basically, Eli Manning may not have any reliable wide outs to throw to in Week 1, and even if Shepard is able to play in the season opener, who will be New York's No. 2 wide receiver before Tate comes back?
Not saying Crabtree would be a savior or anything, but he would certainly provide the Giants with a decent cushion.
3. Denver Broncos
Emmanuel Sanders has made an unbelievably fast recovery in his journey back from a torn Achilles, but the fact of the matter is we have no idea how effective he will actually be once the season kicks off.
The Broncos then have a bunch of unproven youngsters behind Sanders, such as Courtland Sutton (who had a decent rookie year in 2018) and DaeSean Hamilton.
With the uncertainty surrounding Sanders and the aging and declining Joe Flacco under center, Denver needs as much talent and depth at receiver as it can possibly have, so Crabtree would fit the bill here.
2. Seattle Seahawks
Doug Baldwin is gone, and rookie D.K. Metcalf is already set to have knee surgery. Metcalf is expected to be ready for Week 1, but it is still obviously a bit concerning that he is going under the knife two weeks before the regular season begins.
Behind Tyler Lockett, the Seahawks have a ton of question marks at wide receiver, as 24-year-old David Moore seems to be the only “proven” commodity after him.
There was also a lot of trepidation surrounding Metcalf to begin with, as some questioned if he would truly ever become a good NFL receiver due to his poor route-running ability.
Seattle's aerial attack is very thin at the moment, and Michael Crabtree would help sort that out at least somewhat.
1. Washington Redskins
Let's call a spade a spade: the Redskins' receiving corps stinks.
Josh Doctson is currently Washington's No. 1 wide out, which should tell you all you need to know about the state of the Redskins' passing game. Sure, Kelvin Harmon and Robert Davis have looked good in preseason, but these guys were both sixth-round picks in 2019 and 2017, respectively.
Especially considering that Washington has a rookie quarterback in Dwayne Haskins who is almost a lock to get some playing time at some point during the regular season, the Redskins need more reliable hands in their aerial attack.
Michael Crabtree is no star and is far from a No. 1, particularly at this juncture, but he is still better than most of what the Redskins have.
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