[Goose]

Stilwell and Donavon were defensive ends.

Goose... the recent “possession” WR’s have had trouble getting open. No great route runners.

This is true to a large degree, but one of the main reasons for this IMHO is that they are playing against a defense that knows it doesn't have to cover the deep throw. That means at least one more defender (and probably two more) pretty close to the LOS. This cuts down the space to get open by a lot. If the defense also doesn't have to worry about anybody getting "behind" them (because they can run down any "leaks") they can also play everybody pretty tight. You can't run a great route if there is always somebody in the way.

[Goose]

Stilwell and Donavon were defensive ends.

Goose... the recent “possession” WR’s have had trouble getting open. No great route runners.

This is true to a large degree, but one of the main reasons for this IMHO is that they are playing against a defense that knows it doesn't have to cover the deep throw. That means at least one more defender (and probably two more) pretty close to the LOS. This cuts down the space to get open by a lot. If the defense also doesn't have to worry about anybody getting "behind" them (because they can run down any "leaks") they can also play everybody pretty tight. You can't run a great route if there is always somebody in the way.