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Washington Redskins 2018 season running back grades

By Ian Cummings

TAMPA, FL - NOVEMBER 11: Adrian Peterson #26 of the Washington Redskins rushes during a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on November 11, 2018 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL - NOVEMBER 11: Adrian Peterson #26 of the Washington Redskins rushes during a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on November 11, 2018 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /
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BALTIMORE, MD – AUGUST 30: A Washington Redskins helmet sits on the grass before the start of the Redskins and Baltimore Ravens preseason game at M&T Bank Stadium on August 30, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD – AUGUST 30: A Washington Redskins helmet sits on the grass before the start of the Redskins and Baltimore Ravens preseason game at M&T Bank Stadium on August 30, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

Incomplete Grades

It wasn’t long before the regular season that the Redskins plans at running back looked vastly different than what ended up materializing.

In early August, Derrius Guice was pegged as the team’s new three-down running back. Labeled as a first-round talent in the 2018 NFL Draft, Guice slipped to the Redskins in the second round. He showed off his explosiveness and contact balance in the early goings of preseason, but a torn ACL would end his rookie season before it even started.

Robert Kelley was also expected to factor into Washington’s plans at running back; the former undrafted free agent rushed for over 700 yards in his rookie campaign, and after an injury-riddled 2017 season, Kelley was expected to come back and contribute once more as a rotational back. He didn’t last past the first game, however, logging four carries for eight yards before being placed on injured reserve with a toe injury.

The two aforementioned players received incomplete grades in 2018, as did second-year power back Samaje Perine. Perine played in just five games, amassing only eight carries for 32 yards. 20 of those yards came in garbage time, in a blowout loss against Atlanta. Eternally in Jay Gruden’s doghouse for his perceived fumbling issues, Perine never amounted to more than a deep reserve back, and thus, his results can’t be accurately judged.

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