Washington Redskins: 15 greatest running backs in franchise history

Adrian Peterson didn’t need to add to his legacy when he joined up with the Redskins late in the 2018 NFL offseason. At that point, he’d already been a Pro Bowler seven times, an All-Pro four times and an NFL MVP in 2012. Peterson’s induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame was not a question of if, but when.

He was the rare running back that couldn’t be replaced until he eventually was. In 2017, after missing most of the prior season to injury, Peterson was ousted from the Minnesota Vikings. Peterson spent the next year playing for both the New Orleans Saints and the Arizona Cardinals, experiencing modest success in the desert.

The next offseason, Peterson, a 33-year old running back, received almost no interest. Until he got a call from the Redskins in August. It was a call that was never supposed to happen; Derrius Guice was on track to be the starter before he tore his ACL in the preseason. But once he got that call, and once he got that opportunity, Peterson did what all Hall of Fame running backs do.

He ran with it.

He was noticeably worn, athletically, from over a decade of constant contact, but Peterson’s vision, nuance and balance reigned supreme, as he inserted himself as the engine of the Redskins’ underwhelming offense in 2018.

In a season marred by a late collapse, Alex Smith’s devastating injury and the unwelcome return of Mark Sanchez, Peterson’s exploits were drowned out in the noise. But at age-33, he broke the 1,000-yard mark, rushing for 1,042 yards and seven touchdowns on 251 carries.

Now, Peterson is back for another year, to serve as a mentor for Guice. And if the chance comes again, he’ll be able to add a little more to his NFL legacy. It seems like a long shot, that Peterson will add much more to his résumé. But we said the same thing last offseason. And look at what happened.