Niles Paul looking to contribute for Redskins

Since re-signing with the Washington Redskins this offseason, tight end Niles Paul is looking to convince them they made the right decision.

While many say you can't lose your job to injury, it is true that one man's injury can be another man's opportunity. That was the case last season, when one of Jordan Reed's many problems opened a hole for Paul to slip through. 

He snagged a touchdown on 507 receiving yards after playing mostly on special teams and in certain offensive situations during his first three years.

The Redskins liked what they saw in his progression enough to give him a reported three-year extension and he's hoping he can turn that into more time on the field. 

"I want [my role] to grow, and I'm doing everything in my power so that it does grow and I get opportunities even with guys healthy," he told the team's website. "I still want that opportunity to be out there and I know what I can do in this."

He gained 14 pounds in the offseason to make himself fit for an inline blocker position he feels he can fill.

"I know an area I wanted to improve on a lot was blocking," he said. "I was always a willing blocker, but I was 230 pounds going against guys who were 260, 270, 280. I just wanted to level out the playing field a little bit."

One area the Redskins have been working on heavily is inside the opponents' 20, an area from which they only came away with touchdowns less than half the time, and somewhere Paul sees a golden opportunity to insert himself.

"I just think we want to do better in the red zone and be better on first and second down and be better running the ball as well," he said. "I think once we get Alfred [Morris] going and Matt Jones and Silas Redd and whoever they put back there at running back, I think we'll have a very potent offense."

Paul was a better blocker than receiver last season, and alongside Logan Paulsen, that's an area he can help this team. But he's looking to squeeze himself in on what's normally Jordan Reed territory, a elite, physical, and pass-catching tight end. The Redskins are counting on his progress at the position as another check-down option for Robert Griffin III in what could shape up as a vital year for this franchise.