Washington Redskins 2018 Team Award Predictions
Redskins Offensive Rookie of the Year: Derrius Guice
Jay Gruden has always struggled running the ball, dating back to his offensive coordinator days with the Bengals. Part of this is systemic, but a larger factor is the lack of talent Gruden has had to work with in his time with the Redskins. Derrius Guice could be the guy to change that.
Guice entered the 2018 NFL draft as the consensus No. 2 running back. There were some, (yours truly), who considered him the top back in the class over now NFC East rival, Saquon Barkley. Guice is a complete back; his vision and balance, paired with his power and patience, allow him to be a very effective rusher between the tackles. Guice also possesses the speed and agility needed to allow him to hit a home run every time he breaks outside of the tackles.
Here’s that glorious play at a different angel. The balance through the hole gets me excited. Then he manages to gain enough power to take the safety on a little bit of a ride. I love it pic.twitter.com/HePy6zPFn2
— Nathan Britton (@NathanBritton_) March 1, 2018
Guice is a complete back, something Washington hasn’t had since the early days of Clinton Portis. He comes from one of the least productive passing offenses in college at LSU, and because of this Guice didn’t get to showcase his ability to catch out of the backfield much. Despite this, Guice has decent hands and should become one of Alex Smith’s favorite check-down targets.
Its easy to fall in love with what the rookie back brings to Washington’s offense and rightfully so. Guice has a chance to become the main building block on this squad, as Alex Smith is getting older and Jordan Reed can’t get right. There is a real chance Guice sniffs 1,000 yards this year if he can stay healthy. If that comes to fruition, Washington could find themselves in a fight for a division title late into 2018.