Redskins place RB Derrius Guice on injured reserve, ending 2019 season

Injuries have hampered Derrius Guice’s career thus far, and after returning from injured reserve for a few weeks, the LSU product has been shelved again, after suffering an MCL sprain.

Expectations were high when the Washington Redskins drafted LSU running back Derrius Guice in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Guice, a prolific runner in the SEC with the Tigers, was rated as a first-round talent by some, and in preseason of 2018, he mirrored those analyses, showing physicality, burst, and intensity.

Unfortunately for Guice, his rookie season would end before it began; he suffered an ACL tear in preseason and sat out for the entire 2018 campaign. In 2019, he came back as a co-starter along with veteran Adrian Peterson, and after rushing for just 18 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, he was placed on injured reserve with an MCL tear.

Guice returned from injured reserve in Week 11, and in the four weeks that followed, he started to show the promise many had been expecting from him. But unfortunately for Guice, another injury suffered against the Packers will end his season. Per reports corroborated by NFL insider Adam Schefter, the Redskins have placed Guice on injured reserve with an MCL sprain. The Redskins also made several corresponding moves, including signing RB Josh Ferguson off of the practice squad to replace Guice.

Guice’s injury could have been worse, as the young running back had his knee sandwiched by two Packers defenders. There’s always an aspect of luck to injuries in the NFL, and Guice’s luck has been sour over his first two seasons.

That said, there’s reason to be excited for Guice’s future. Guice is still just 22 years old, and now that he’s on injured reserve, he can get a head start on the recovery for the 2020 season, as opposed to accumulating un-needed wear and tear in a lost season.

Guice flashed in the short time he returned from injured reserve. Appearing in five total games on the year, Guice ran for 245 yards and two touchdowns on 42 carries, good for a very efficient 5.8 average, and he also produced as a pass catcher, hauling in seven receptions and a touchdown. His efforts were punctuated by a Week 13 win against the Panthers, in which Guice ran for 129 yards and two scores on 10 carries.

It’s unfortunate that Guice won’t have an opportunity to close out the season, but he put enough of his positive traits on display to be a part of the Redskins future on offense. His blend of burst, contact balance, and relentlessness was his calling card in college, and in the NFL, that mix has served him well so far, in limited reps. Now, he can focus on his recovery, and enter 2020 with a clean bill of health.