How Chris Thompson has become the Redskins most reliable offensive weapon

Jacob Camenker

CHICAGO, IL - DECEMBER 24: Chris Thompson #25 of the Washington Redskins runs the football into the endzone for his second touchdown in the first quarter against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on December 24, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

Chris Thompson has had an absolutely terrific start to the 2017 season. His emergence is due to a number of factors and how he has been utilized by the offense.

Coming into the 2017 season, nobody was talking about Chris Thompson. The fifth year back out of Florida State was one of the forgotten men in the team’s backfield. Many focused on the potential of young backs Rob Kelley and Samaje Perine, while the Mack Brown fan club was supporting the former undrafted free agent. That allowed Thompson to go under the radar to start the season.

Through three games this year, Thompson has been absolutely terrific. He is leading the Redskins in rushing yards and receiving yards and has been an explosive playmaker. Despite only receiving 27 touches in the three games, Thompson has produced four touchdowns and has been a threat to score every time he’s touched the ball.

It may seem like Thompson’s emergence came out of nowhere, but really he has slotted into a spot that makes a lot of sense for him to succeed. The Redskins have found the proper way to use him on offense and hat has led him to become a very reliable player.

Here’s how Thompson has become such an integral part of the offense. The versatile back has done everything he can to become a consistent threat for the team.

LANDOVER, MD – SEPTEMBER 10: Chris Thompson #25 of the Washington Redskins celebrates his touchdown with fans against the Philadelphia Eagles in the second quarter at FedExField on September 10, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

Thompson has taken over as receiving option

Much was made of the losses that the Redskins suffered at the wide receiver position during the 2017 offseason. And rightfully so. In the span of just a few days, the team lost two 1,000-plus yard receivers and had very little hope to replace either of them in full.

DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the San Francisco 49ers respectively. The Redskins didn’t make a major effort to re-sign either, and that left many wondering who the top options for Kirk Cousins would be. Many expected Josh Doctson to step into a bigger role at first. Then, following the signing of Terrelle Pryor, it was presumed that the duo would be the top two receivers. A lot has changed since that time.

In three regular season games working with Cousins, Pryor has not looked very good. The duo has not been on the same page at all, and Pryor has also struggled with drops. He was supposed to be their No. 1 receiver, but with the lacking chemistry and his poor hands, that has not happened.

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With Doctson, the concerns began when he suffered a hamstring injury in early August and didn’t look right in the preseason. He was held without a catch until the second half of the Sunday night victory against Oakland, but the catch was impressive. It was a 52-yard touchdown that saw him beat a man, come back to the ball, and fight his way into the end zone. Still, he has been inconsistent, fragile, and he has not yet won the trust of Jay Gruden.

Because of all this, Thompson has become the top receiving option for the Redskins so far in 2017. In just three games, he has totaled 231 yards on 13 catches. That puts him on pace for over 1,200 receiving yards. He has proven to be the explosive playmaker who has replaced the departed Jackson. It’s not Pryor. It’s not Doctson. It’s just the 5-foot-8 running back who has spent five seasons going under the radar in Washington.

Really, the reason that Thompson has done so well is his ability to run after the catch. A lot of the balls that Cousins has found Thompson on have been in pockets of space where the running back can make men miss. That has allowed him to use his excellent speed to find the seam in the defense and accelerate for huge gains.

It’s definitely odd to see Thompson as the team’s leading receiver, but this could last a while. He looks like a legitimate weapon and the Redskins have to be happy that he is hitting his stride when they most needed him.

CHICAGO, IL – DECEMBER 24: Chris Thompson #25 of the Washington Redskins celebrates with Morgan Moses #76 and quarterback Kirk Cousins #8 after scoring a touchdown in the first quarter against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on December 24, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

The running back rotation has allowed Thompson to thrive

While it was widely expected that Rob Kelley and Samaje Perine would take over as the primary option in the running game, that has not entirely been the case. Kelley came into the year as the lead back, but in the first week of the season, he was unable to establish himself as a top runner. Thing changed against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 2, but he ended up missing the second half with an injury.

As a result, Perine took over as the primary runner for the next week and a half. He did well, but the real thing that helped the Redskins to succeed was the presence of Thompson.

Thompson has mostly mixed into the rotation as a receiving back, but the explosive plays that he has had as a running back do enough to keep opposing defenses honest. While he has only run the ball 14 times, he leads the team with 119 yards and two rushing touchdowns. His athletic ability and speed have allowed him to find open spaces and get to them quickly. That is something that neither Kelley nor Perine possess.

Because of his different abilities, Thompson has fit in very well with the backfield by committee approach. While many teams search for a workhorse back, the Redskins have found four guys who can definitely make an impact in different ways. Thompson with his pass catching ability and explosiveness. Kelley with his ability to consistently gain positive yardage. Perine with his upside and ability to execute in zone blocking schemes. And, of course, Mack Brown, and effective back with great special teams ability.

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This group has allowed the Redskins to pick and choose which backs to use in each situation. Thompson fits well as the third down, change of pace back who can come in a change the game at any moment. That is how the Redskins are using him, and that is why he has been so successful.

At the same time, the Redskins have avoided overusing Thompson. They have played him on 43 percent of snaps this year, which leads the running back corps, but still isn’t altogether too much. This is to protect him from suffering an injury from taking too many hits. This is something that Jay Gruden has expressed concern about in the past, especially because of Thompson’s 5-foot-8 frame.

If Thompson was overutilized, the Redskins may not have him for a full season. But Gruden has figured out the right amount to utilize him, and that bodes well for his continued success in the offensive scheme.

LANDOVER, MD – SEPTEMBER 10: Chris Thompson #25 of the Washington Redskins celebrates his touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles in the second quarter at FedExField on September 10, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

Thompson doesn’t have to worry about a contract

Sometimes, in contract years, NFL players have the best seasons of their career. They try to prove that they are worth a great deal of money and come out and consistently perform week in and week out. Other times, players press too hard in their contract years and end up making too many mistakes because they are too preoccupied with their new deal.

Thompson doesn’t fall into either of these categories. The reason? Thompson inked a new deal to remain with the Redskins before the season.

Before the season, the Redskins signed Thompson to a two year extension that will keep him with the team through the 2019 season. The deal paid Thompson $3.25 million per year, a deal that is comparable to other solid receiving backs on the market. At the time, I said the following of Thompson’s deal.