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Redskins Roster Projection: Team loads up in the trenches

By Jacob Camenker

ORCHARD PARK, NY - NOVEMBER 03: Chase Roullier #73 of the Washington football team waits to snap the ball against the Buffalo Bills at New Era Field on November 3, 2019 in Orchard Park, New York. Buffalo beats Washington 24 to 9. (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)
ORCHARD PARK, NY - NOVEMBER 03: Chase Roullier #73 of the Washington football team waits to snap the ball against the Buffalo Bills at New Era Field on November 3, 2019 in Orchard Park, New York. Buffalo beats Washington 24 to 9. (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images) /
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LANDOVER, MD – NOVEMBER 17: Derrius Guice #29 of the Washington Redskins runs with the ball against James Burgess #58 of the New York Jets in the first half at FedExField on November 17, 2019 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD – NOVEMBER 17: Derrius Guice #29 of the Washington Redskins runs with the ball against James Burgess #58 of the New York Jets in the first half at FedExField on November 17, 2019 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /

Running Back (4)

Adrian Peterson, Derrius Guice, Antonio Gibson, J.D. McKissic

The Redskins have a fairly deep running back corps. They don’t have a lot of proven talent in the group, but the fact of the matter is that they have four players that have proven to be effective parts of a rotation during their respective careers and two young players with a lot of upside who have never played in the NFL before.

Because of their depth, it’s hard to figure out exactly how the back end of the group will shake out. But what we do know is that Peterson, Guice, and Gibson should be roster locks.

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Peterson is 35, but he is the most proven talent that the Redskins have. He has been a durable option for them and should be able to work steadily as the starter if needed. That said, he’ll likely be splitting time with Guice in 2020.

Guice may be the most talented of the Redskins running backs and when he was on the field last year, he mostly proved to be a dynamic weapon. However, he has only played in five NFL games and he has been up and down at times. If he can stay fully healthy, he should have a chance to emerge as a strong starter. But it may be best for him to continue to operate in a timeshare to keep himself fresh. But given that he totaled 129 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries in Ron Rivera’s last game as the head coach of the Panthers, it’s safe to assume that Guice is highly regarded by the new coaching staff.

Gibson was a third-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, so there’s no doubt that the new coaching staff likes him. A versatile running back and receiver hybrid, Gibson was announced as a back at the draft and Rivera compared him loosely to Christian McCaffrey. Gibson may not shoulder a massive workload after running sparingly in college, but seeing him operate in the Chris Thompson role for 2020 would make sense.

McKissic will be battling the likes of Peyton Barber and Bryce Love for the final roster spot. But McKissic, an underrated addition to the RB room, should be the favorite right now. Scott Turner’s offense favors pass-catching running backs, and Barber doesn’t do a lot in that capacity. Love is better-rounded than Barber and has a lot of upside, but he was picked by the previous regime. Given his injury history and the team’s decision to draft Gibson while signing McKissic and Barber, Love could be on the outside looking in as he tries to find a home in the NFL.

Perhaps Love could hold a practice squad spot if he’s healthy and can’t make the team. Or maybe he’ll be the injury replacement if one of the other Redskins at the position gets hurt.

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