Jaguars sign former Redskins running back Chris Thompson to one-year deal
The Washington Redskins let Chris Thompson walk in free agency after seven years with the team. Now, he’ll be joining the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Chris Thompson had to wait quite a long time on the free-agent market before finding his next job. But the former Redskins running back is set to be employed ahead of the 2020 NFL season.
And he landed exactly where many expected him to.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Jacksonville Jaguars signed Thompson to a one-year deal on Friday to serve as depth for the team.
RB Chris Thompson is signing a one-year deal with the Jaguars, per source. Good pass-catching option out of the backfield for Gardner Minshew.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) May 1, 2020
The move reunites Thompson with former Redskins head coach Jay Gruden. The current Jaguars offensive coordinator was a big fan of Thompson and found a variety of ways to get the ball into his hands during their time together in Washington. Gruden will be looking for the same opportunity to get Thompson involved with the offense, especially amid the Leonard Fournette trade talks that have been buzzing about in recent weeks.
Thompson should have a good chance to make the Jaguars’ roster. The team doesn’t have much besides Fournette and last year’s fifth-round pick Ryquell Armstead. They added three undrafted free agents in James Robinson, Tavien Feaster, and Nathan Cottrell to add competition along with Devine Ozigbo and Jeremy McNichols, two players with minimal NFL experience. McNichols was a fifth-round pick by the Buccaneers in 2017, but he is already with his seventh NFL team.
As for the Redskins, Thompson’s decision to sign elsewhere will have minimal impact on them. Thompson was always good in Washington and averaged 4.8 yards per carry and 8.4 yards per catch. His best year came in 2017 when he had 39 catches for 510 yards and four touchdowns as a pass-catcher. The problem was he couldn’t stay healthy (17 games missed in the past three seasons).
The Redskins had already decided to move on from him and added some depth to the backfield in the form of free agents J.D. McKissic and Peyton Barber along with third-round pick Antonio Gibson. They already have Adrian Peterson, Derrius Guice, and Bryce Love on the roster anyway, so the ‘Skins will have a roster crunch at the running back position.
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It will be interesting to see what the ‘Skins can get out of their running back corps and what Thompson can do in Jacksonville. But either way, both parties should find a way to find success in 2020.