Slot receivers in demand, but salaries lag

The space between the end of an offensive line and an outside receiver, commonly called the slot, decides more NFL games than ever before. Cole Beasley lined up there on 85 percent of his snaps last season, and he led the Dallas Cowboys in catches and receiving yards. His ability out of the slot provided security and comfort for a rookie quarterback and made Beasley the engine of Dallas’ passing game. And yet, Beasley wants to be known as anything but a slot receiver.

NFL offenses rely more than ever on the ability of shifty, explosive slot receivers to get open quickly and give quarterbacks a low-risk outlet. In contractual negotiations, though, players and agents resist the label of “slot receiver,” the football version of “middle reliever:” As the importance of the position on the field has increased, it has not translated, in most cases, to market value.

“If you’re not a slot receiver and you’re just considered a receiver, you got a chance to make a lot of money,” Beasley’s co-agent Justin Turner said. “Even if you’re the No. 3 receiver, it’s a hell of a lot better to be the backup No. 2 and catch 50 balls than be a slot receiver and catch 50 balls. You’re going to be docked at least $1.5 million on the just for being a slot receiver. It’s like the right tackle.”

Last season, according to Pro Football Focus, 25 wide receivers lined up in the slot on more than 50 percent of their plays. The group was more diverse than a casual fan might expect. It included veterans who had found life inside (Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin), young players made for the position (Jamison Crowder, Sterling Shepard) and No. 1 receivers (T.Y. Hilton, Jarvis Landry). It also included Julian Edelman and Beasley, stereotypical slot receivers.

Edelman lined up outside 47 percent of the time, barely qualifying him for the slot label. Edelman runs the rapid-fire patterns for the New England Patriots that have helped Tom Brady remain so good and so durable into his age-40 season. Despite his value and versatility, Edelman agreed to a two-year, $11 million deal — less per year than, for a couple examples, Kenny Stills and Robert Woods.

Edelman’s market was hurt by factors unique to him. He wanted to play with Brady in New England, teams were likely skeptical he could maintain his production without Brady’s precision and at age 31 he may be starting to decline. The best receiver on the Super Bowl champions had a limited market.

The increased reliance on slot receivers can be traced, in part, to changes in the latest collective bargaining agreement. Shrunken practice time gives defensive fronts an advantage over offensive lines, which are more reliant on cohesion and coordination. The diminished quality and consistency of pass protection makes intermediate and long passes both harder and more dangerous for quarterbacks.

To solve the problems presented by defenses throttling linemen, offenses have increasingly turned to shorter throws. Quarterbacks can protect themselves with quick drops and short passes to a receiver able to burst off the line, change direction and come open in a flash. Quick passes to a slot receiver, maybe behind a pulling tackle, can augment, or even replace, a running game.

Teams ran 38.1 of their pass patterns from the slot last season, and quarterbacks threw it to receivers lined up in the slot on 35.5 percent of their attempts, both highs for the past 10 years. As a result, quarterbacks chucked shorter passes than in any recent season, averaging 8.25 yards in the air per pass, the lowest number over the past decade.

While slot receivers may not possess the size and athleticism of outside receivers, their skills are seen as no less important.