Chris Thompson’s return would be big for Redskins offense
The Washington Redskins could use a little extra help at the running back position. Chris Thompson seems close to returning, and he could be the spark the team needs.
The Redskins always appeared to be in trouble at the running back position this year. After Derrius Guice went down with a season-ending ACL injury in the preseason, the team was unstable at the position. Even after the signing of Adrian Peterson, there were some major questions about the position. And at this point in the season, they still exist.
While Peterson played very well to start the season, his play has fallen off drastically in recent weeks. This was to be expected of the 33-year-old back, who entered the year with over 2,500 career carries, as his performance dipped later in the year for the Cardinals last season. But because the Redskins have been so reliant on the run game this season, the decline of Peterson has really hurt their team as a whole.
In the past four games, Peterson has just 171 rushing yards on 56 attempts, good for a 3.05 yards per carry average. He has added a couple of red-zone scores, but save for those plays, he hasn’t been able to spark the offense as much as he did early in the season. Plus, he is dealing with a troublesome shoulder injury that has impacted him in recent weeks. It’s clear that Peterson needs another guy to come in and help lighten the load, and Thompson could be just that player.
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Thompson is an explosive playmaker that has missed the better part of the last two months with a variety of injuries. Most recently, his ribs were a problem, but it seems that he is close to returning. Thompson could help take a load off Peterson in the passing game and could see a few carries each game as well. At the very least, Thompson could keep Peterson fresh, and that could do a lot to revitalize the Redskins floundering ground game.
Of course, it is worth noting that Thompson can’t really handle a full workload because of his smaller stature. He just gets to banged-up to frequently carry the ball between the tackles, so noted that he will not be replacing Peterson in that aspect. But at the very least, having a thunder and lightning type duo could at least give the offense more versatility.
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Thompson’s return should give Colt McCoy another weapon in the short passing game and take pressure off Peterson. Thompson could be a game-changer if he gets on the field Monday night against the Eagles, so keep an eye on him as he looks to get ready for the most important Redskins game of the season.