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The big question surrounding the Washington Huskies on offense this offseason comes with regards to explosiveness. How do you replace a talent as incandescent as John Ross III? Ross hauled in 81 catches for 1150 yards and 17 touchdowns, and was generally unstoppable in open field play. Without that playmaking, can Washington break free and allow Jake Browning to hum as smoothly as last season?
However, the good news for Washington is that Dante Pettis is back. And there are few wide receivers as steady in college football as Pettis.
If a football is coming his way, he catches it. He was targeted 72 times in 2016 and dropped ONE football (53 catches in all, the rest of the footballs not close enough for Pettis to make a clear attempt to catch).
No returning Pac-12 WR had safer hands than Washington's Dante Pettis.
— PFF College Football (@PFF_College) June 18, 2017
He had just one drop on 72 targets last year. pic.twitter.com/kZU4Z2oJRF
As a result of the efficiency of Pettis’s target rate, Washington’s offense could hum naturally whenever defenses focused their attention on Ross. It might be a bit trickier for Washington to generate offense with Pettis now being the number one option, but you have to feel the Huskies are up for the challenge.
Washington WR Dante Pettis headlines the top returning WRs in terms of passer rating when targeted. pic.twitter.com/zV5pa56c5V
— PFF College Football (@PFF_College) June 30, 2017