4. Backup Running Back: Samaje Perine vs. Rob Kelley
Last season, Rob Kelley was the starting running back for the Redskins and Samaje Perine was the starter. This year, Derrius Guice is the likely starter and these two players will be duking it out for the spot as a backup runner on the roster.
It’s hard to tell who has the advantage between these two candidates. As it stands, Kelley is listed as the starter on the team’s first unofficial depth chart, but that seems highly likely to change. After all, that depth chart had Guice listed as a fourth-stringer! Still, Kelley being rated higher than Perine is big news, and it will certainly put the pressure on the former fourth-round pick to produce.
I happen to fall into the camp that believes Perine would be an ideal backup for Guice, and in a recent piece, I outlined why it makes more sense to keep Perine over Kelley.
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"As a rookie, Perine had some solid showings. The fourth-round pick earned the starting role halfway through the 2017 season after Kelley suffered an injury. Perine fared well in his first couple of starts before tapering off down the stretch. All told, he had back-to-back 100-yard games and appeared to have the makings of a good power/short yardage back in the NFL. … It’s also worth noting that Perine is three years younger than Kelley, and that factor can’t be underestimated given the short shelf life of running backs, especially the very physical ones."
Perine does have some flaws and wasn’t particularly productive as a rookie, but he does have upside. Still, he needs to prove himself against Kelley, who is a similar player who will be tough to beat. If either player can make an impact in the first preseason game, that will certainly go a long way to deciding which one belongs on the 53-man roster.