Report: Redskins RB Bryce Love having another knee surgery

The Washington Redskins selected Bryce Love in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He was always likely a stash pick, and his latest knee surgery should confirm that.

Early on the third day of the 2019 NFL Draft, the Washington Redskins surprised many when they picked Stanford running back Bryce Love. Love, once thought to be a potential first- or second-round pick, fell into their laps in the fourth round due to an ACL tear he had suffered late in his senior season.

At the time, the Redskins running back room looked strong with Derrius Guice, Adrian Peterson, and Chris Thompson locked into roles and Samaje Perine drawing praise from Jay Gruden. Still, the team elected to take a chance on Love but in reality, they had no plans to activate him in 2019. He was a stash pick for the future which made his selection a smart one with upside.

Still, despite the fact that Love was always likely to spend the year rehabbing, some hoped that he might return later in the year. Those notions can now be put to bed, as NBC Sports Washington’s JP Finlay is reporting that Love will need another knee surgery.

As Finlay mentioned, this isn’t a surprise. Teams had concerns about Love’s knee which is why he fell so far. Having another surgery now should give him ample time to recover ahead of the 2020 NFL season. At that point, the Redskins can work him into the backfield rotation and potentially use him as a top receiving back.

Chris Thompson’s contract is up after this season, so the logical conclusion is that Love, a back with excellent receiving skills, will take over for him. Love is a bit thicker than Thompson as well, so he could work between the tackles more in tandem with Guice as the team looks to finally establish their ground game.

Of course, the latest surgery also means that the Washington backfield has some massive injury concerns. Both Love and Guice have dealt with significant injuries during their short NFL careers, and they’ll have to prove that they can stay on the field moving forward. While they have talent, those concerns are still notable, and it will make the unit a big boom-or-bust one moving forward.

It’s unfortunate that Love won’t get a chance to play at all during his rookie season, but that was always expected to be the case. Hopefully by training camp next year, he’ll be healthy and the Redskins will really be able to see what they got with their fourth-round pick.