Top 5 Receiving Trios Heading Into the 2019 NFL Season

Heading into the 2019 NFL season, the air attack has never been more dynamic. The 2018 NFL season broke the record for the highest passing yards per attempt since the AFL-NFL merger. We also witnessed more TDs in the 2018 season than any other season in NFL history. A major factor in the rise of passing efficiency is the current crop of wide receivers and tight ends who are catching more passes this decade than in any prior. In this article, we will identify the top five receiving trios that will be keeping defensive coordinators up late at night all season.

Top 5 NFL Receiving Trios in 2019

1) Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons boast a receiving core that would make any NFL GM blush. Their main target, Julio Jones, is a league superstar and arguably the top receiver in the league. In each of the past six seasons, Jones has finished in the top three for receiving yards per game. In three of these years, he led the league.

I could stop here, however, the Falcons supporting cast is among the most dangerous in the league. Calvin Ridley was selected by the Falcons in the first round of the 2018 NFL draft and showed flashes of explosiveness throughout his first season. Look for Ridley to take a big step in his second year and establish himself as a bona fide deep threat in the league. Finally, we have Mohamed Sanu who fits into the WR3 spot– although almost any team in the league would be more than happy slotting him into a WR2 role.

2) Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs organization received arguably the best news of any team this offseason when the controversial news broke that Tyreek Hill would not be suspended by the NFL for child abuse allegations. Tyreek Hill is aptly referred to as ‘The Cheetah’ for his blazing speed that has opposing defenders playing catch-up all game long. Hill is the league’s premier deep threat in the year 2019.

It is hard to fathom that if defenders can somehow manage to contain Hill, they still have to worry about a check-down throw to whom many consider to be the best tight end in the league in Travis Kelce. This one-two punch of Hill and Kelce is among the deadliest in the NFL. For their WR2, the Chiefs boast the talent of Sammy Watkins, who spent the majority of his career as a top target for the Buffalo Bills. Watkins is overqualified, yet perfectly comfortable flying under the radar for the Chiefs as a third option.

3) Cleveland Browns

Coming in the third spot is the Browns trio of receivers who have been the most talked-about unit throughout the 2019 NFL offseason. Odell Beckham jr. will be eager to prove his critics wrong this year, after missing 16 games over the last two seasons. Beckham has been among the league’s top talents since bursting onto the scene in his rookie year, putting up 1,305 receiving yards in only 12 games.

Beckham is bolstered by his old LSU teammate Jarvis Landry– who will be slotted into a secondary receiving role for the first time in his NFL career– highlighting the dynamic duo who many pundits have declared as the league’s top receiving pair heading into the year. These two receivers will be a ton of fun to watch this season. Finally, we have David Njoku heading up the trio. Njoku saw a huge improvement during his second year in 2018 and will likely have more open looks this season with Beckham and Landry distracting opposing defenses.

4) Los Angeles Rams

The Los Angeles Rams possess one of, if not, the deepest receiving core in the NFL. While this unit lacks the star power the teams above them on this list possess, they are able to make up for it by how balanced they are as a threesome on the field. This is evident by the fact that the Rams ran more plays with three wide receivers than any other team in the NFL and by a considerable margin.

Brandin Cooks is their speed receiver who forces defenses to back off the line of scrimmage. Robert Woods is the Rams most balanced receiver, touting top-class receiving and blocking skills. Woods led the Rams in receiving in 2018– albeit only topping Cooks by 15 yards. The third option is Cooper Kupp who is coming off of a season-ending knee injury.

5) Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles receiving core flew up my rankings once DeSean Jackson was acquired in a trade with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this offseason. Jackson has been one of the NFL’s elite deep threats since he joined the league in 2008, placing top two in the league for yards per reception three times over the past five years, including first in the league last season.

The Eagles top receiving threat will likely be tight end, Zach Ertz, who led the team with over 1,000 receiving yards this past season. Ertz has established himself as one of the league’s top tight ends over the past couple of seasons. With Rob Gronkowski out of the league, Ertz will all but certainly find himself amongst the top threats to take over the throne as the NFL’s best tight end. Last but certainly not least, Alshon Jeffery will hope to further entrench his status as WR1 in the Eagles system. Although Jeffrey has yet to find the same groove he felt in the 2013 and 2014 season for the Chicago Bears, he has continued to be a solid contributor as a starting receiver in this league.