Riggo's Rag
FanSided

5 bold predictions for the Redskins vs. Cowboys matchup

By Ian Cummings

LANDOVER, MD - NOVEMBER 23: Quarterback Kirk Cousins #8 and outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan #91 of the Washington Redskins eat turkey after the Redskins defeated the New York Giants 20-10 at FedExField on November 23, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - NOVEMBER 23: Quarterback Kirk Cousins #8 and outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan #91 of the Washington Redskins eat turkey after the Redskins defeated the New York Giants 20-10 at FedExField on November 23, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 6
Next
NEW ORLEANS, LA – NOVEMBER 19: Samaje Perine #32 of the Washington Redskins celebrates with Chase Roullier #73 of the Washington Redskins after scoring a touchdown during the first half against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on November 19, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA – NOVEMBER 19: Samaje Perine #32 of the Washington Redskins celebrates with Chase Roullier #73 of the Washington Redskins after scoring a touchdown during the first half against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on November 19, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /

No. 2 – LeShun Daniels scores a touchdown

It’s no secret that the Redskins have been hit hard by the injury bug. For a while, the position of running back avoided the ailments, but it wouldn’t be long before Robert Kelley went down, and then Chris Thompson went down. And the Redskins were forced to turn to outside hires to fulfill their depth requirements.

Byron Marshall is the main backup. The third down back. He’s not Chris Thompson, but he does have a little bit of Thompson in him. He also has a little bit of Matt Jones in him, as he  bobbled a pass that would be intercepted for a score last week. Marshall’s start with the Redskins hasn’t been particularly flashy, but it’s early, and he’s learning the offense.

I don’t see Marshall having a big game today, however. The Redskins need all three running backs to be active, and on Thursday night, LeShun Daniels, the man at the bottom of the totem pole, will start working his way up. Daniels was signed to the team just before the Giants game last week. Here’s a quick rundown of his resume:

"Daniels, 6-foot-0, 225, played college ball at Iowa University, where he ran for 1,895 yards and 19 touchdowns on 408 carries. His best year was his senior season, where he logged 1,058 yards and 8 touchdowns on 213 carries. He went undrafted this year, and spent most of the offseason on the New England Patriots. He was released during final cuts, after rushing for 85 yards on 26 carries in the preseason. Daniels signed to the Chargers’ practice squad later in the season, and he would subsequently be released soon after. Just five days ago, Daniels was signed to the Redskins’ practice squad. And now, he’ll be their third running back after Chris Thompson went on injured reserve."

Daniels offers good size and even better unpredictability. Teams won’t have the book on Daniels, just like it took time to figure out Robert Kelley last year (but once teams figured Kelley out, it wasn’t hard to stop him). I see Daniels as a more complete back than Kelley, however. He was more than a power back in college, after all.

On Thursday, Samaje Perine will get the brunt of the carries. And he’ll likely do very well, as he has done since he took the starting job. But the points won’t exclusively go to him. On the night the Redskins play Alfred Morris, the new No. 46, LeShun Daniels, will shine under the lights as a rookie, and he’ll get the first touchdown of his career.

Home/Commanders News