Washington Football Team’s young running backs have new opportunity

With Derrius Guice released by the Washington Football Team, other running backs will have to shoulder the workload left behind.

The Washington Football Team didn’t enter the offseason with the intent to release Derrius Guice, a former second-round pick who’d shown promise at running back in 2019. But after Guice’s recent arrest for domestic assault, the decision to cut ties was necessary.

Now, the hope is that justice is found for the victim, and that Guice himself finds a way to reform after this incident and learn from his mistakes. But for the team itself, this saga is already in the rear view mirror. Guice is gone, and as far as football goes, it’s time for the next man up.

Finding a replacement at the running back position shouldn’t be difficult; it’s one of the most replaceable positions in the sport of football, and the Washington Football Team has several intriguing options behind Adrian Peterson who could pick up the torch.

Antonio Gibson comes to mind almost immediately. The third-round rookie tested in the elite tier athletically at the 2020 NFL Combine, and he offers upside at both running back and wide receiver, which could make him a popular offensive chess piece for offensive coordinator Scott Turner. Gibson offers impressive explosiveness and burl, and he’ll be able to produce in a number of roles simply with his physical talent.

There’s also Bryce Love, last year’s fourth-round pick who has yet to hit the football field. He was relegated to injured reserve early on in 2019, but now, with a year of rehabilitation behind him, he’s reportedly healthy, and partaking in team activities at training camp. Love was a Heisman runner-up in 2017, and although he’s not as big or dense as Gibson, or as effective of a receiver, he exemplified the word “explosive” in college, and if he hasn’t lost a step from his ACL injury, he can be a playmaker with his burst and contact balance.

There are other names in the Washington Football Team’s backfield as well, among them J.D. McKissic and Peyton Barber, but Gibson and Love no doubt feel the brunt of the impact from Guice’s release. Love has been working hard to get back to football, and Gibson brings an enticing skill set that will no doubt be exciting for Turner to expand upon. Given that running backs in Washington are often used as a rotation, this rotation will demand a great deal of attention in the coming weeks.