How Byron Marshall can win a spot on the Redskins 53-man roster

Byron Marshall has flown under the radar after being picked up by the Washington Redskins midway through last season. He could have a shot at winning a place on the team’s 53-man roster.

For the better part of the last three years, the Washington Redskins have been searching for an answer at the running back position. In Alfred Morris‘ final year with the team, he was on the decline and not the answer at running back. However, the top options since Morris departed, Matt Jones and Rob Kelley, were equally ineffective, and they were unable to establish themselves as starters.

That said, the Redskins did get a nice back-by-committee approach working at times last season. With Kelley and Samaje Perine in the lead role and Chris Thompson working as the explosive third-down and passing back, the team was able to generate some quality performances. Still, they were clearly lacking in talent at running back, and they were also hampered by injuries through the season.

By adding Derrius Guice in the draft, the Redskins have virtually ensured that their early downs work will be solidified, in the mold of Guice and Perine. And with Thompson returning from an injury to take on the passing back role, that should effectively complete the rotation.

Even with those three set to take on a bulk of the workload, the Redskins will still have room for a fourth running back. In the past couple of seasons, they have often carried four runners to provide depth and also special teams value. This year, the battle for the fourth spot will be fierce, but one player has gone under the radar.

That would be Byron Marshall. The Redskins picked up Marshall midway through last season as an injury replacement. While he wasn’t a major statistical producer, he will still have a great shot to make the team as a depth option, and he certainly could be on the fast track to earning that No. 4 running back role.