Redskins at risk of making familiar mistake at running back in 2018
By Ian Cummings
The Redskins need to complete an accurate assessment of Samaje Perine’s potential in the last three games of 2017. Otherwise, they could be swimming in familiar choppy waters this offseason.
It’s been ages since the Redskins have had a consistent, reliable threat as a workhorse running back year in and year out. And it’s easy to see why. In the bowl era, the Redskins have never picked a running back in the first round. The last time they picked a running back in the second round was in 2002, and that was Ladell Betts, who only broke 500 yards once in nine years.
Drafting a running back in the early rounds is not key to success. But in recent years, teams that have selected such players have received early and bountiful returns. Running backs taken on days one and two in the last two years include Ezekiel Elliot, Derrick Henry, Kenyan Drake, Leonard Fournette, Christian McCaffrey, Joe Mixon, Dalvin Cook, Alvin Kamara, and Kareem Hunt. All of those players are either starting, or serving co-starting roles on their teams. Only two other running backs were left off this list. That’s a very high success rate in the early rounds. The way of the ground is returning to the game.
It’s possible that Samaje Perine could end up being the running back the Redskins have needed all along. He’s tough and he’s physical. But so far, he hasn’t shown himself to be anything more than ‘just a guy’. Sound familiar? The Redskins can’t make the same mistake they’ve made the past two years, committing to an unproven back as their unquestioned starter. Look what happened with Matt Jones. And take note of Robert Kelley’s consistency issues before he was injured. Some running backs are graded as first and second round backs for a reason. Some have the talent to do what others can’t.
In recent history, the Redskins have continuously settled for something that everyone else has, and they’ve lacked a complete enough roster to take a risk on such a volatile position in the earlier rounds. But there’s reason to believe that they’re ready now. Their roster, when healthy, is close. Injuries have effectively ruined the 2017 campaign, and in 2018, with most impact players back to one hundred percent, and more stability at quarterback, we hope, they can make more tangible progress.
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With the roster growing stronger around the running back position, the Redskins need to go on offense in the draft. If they aren’t completely sold on Perine by the end of the season, then they have to at least get some bonafide competition for him. Sure, you’ll have your Jordan Howards and your Aaron Jones on occasion, but to have the best chance of nabbing the game-changing talent, the surefire playmaking ability, you need to pull the trigger in rounds one and two. If the Redskins feel the same way about Perine that they felt about Jones and Kelley, come January, then they need to start scouting top-tier running backs. Because otherwise, their cumbersome running game will remain locked in flux. They can’t settle for less. It’s time to strive for better.