Breaking down the Redskins offensive backfield for 2020
By Jonathan Eig
Running Back
On Roster: Peyton Barber, Josh Ferguson, Antonio Gibson, Derrius Guice, Bryce Love, J.D. McKissic, Adrian Peterson
Projected Starter: Guice
The Redskins currently have seven running backs on the roster and are likely to keep four or five. The problem with assessing the group is that three prominent players have had serious injury issues over the past few years.
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The Redskins would clearly prefer that Guice take over as the lead back. He is young and powerful and in his brief healthy moments has flashed the talent that could make him a top ten back. His best game last season was in the Week 13 win over the Carolina Panthers. Ron Rivera was fired two days later.
Peterson still considers himself a premiere back as well, and he has defied the odds several times in his remarkable career. The tendency he has shown throughout his Redskin tenure is to follow a strong game with a weak one. This is likely a function of age, a sign that his body cannot perform at a high level week after week after week. Ideally, he becomes Guice’s backup in 2020, but he can take over as the primary back if injury slows Guice again.
I don’t think Barber makes the final roster without an injury to Guice or Peterson. He is still young and has proven to be durable, but he is several steps down from the other two in terms of talent. If he has to play a prominent role in the Redskins’ backfield in 2020, that is a very bad sign.