Breaking down the Washington Football Team’s running back depth chart for 2021.
It’s amazing how much can change over the course of a calendar year. Case and point, the Washington Football Team’s running back room.
During the 2020 offseason, Washington had seven running backs on their roster. It was considered to be their deepest position on offense, and there were serious debates about who may make the team and which talented prospects the team might have to cut when trimming down their roster.
Fast forward 12 months and the situation at running back is a lot different. Washington now has six RBs on their roster and only three remain from the group of seven they carried in May of 2020.
That’s not just the result of some back-end roster shuffling. Washington parted with two players that were thought of as potential co-starters for the team before the ’20 season began. And their 2019 fourth-round draft pick has been released after never playing a down for the team.
Even despite the turnover in the running back room, Washington still has talent at the position. In fact, they have one of the most dynamic young backs in the league, and had he not gotten hurt late in the season, he certainly would’ve gotten more buzz amid Washington’s playoff run.
Beyond him, there are a couple of experienced depth pieces. It tapers off a bit after that, but all told, Washington once again has an interesting backfield group, especially when factoring in that receiver Curtis Samuel can take some snaps out of the backfield.
How will the Washington Football Team’s running back room shake out? Here’s an early look at the depth chart, beginning with the second-year pro who will be starting for the team.
Washington Football Team starting RB: Antonio Gibson
Going into last season, there was a serious debate about who should be the starting running back for Washington. Some argued for Adrian Peterson. Others for Derrius Guice. It was a deep backfield, so there were many potential options for the team, or so it seemed.
Then Guice was slapped with domestic violence charges and promptly cut by Washington. And before the season, Peterson was released in a surprising move as well. As such, Antonio Gibson became the lead back earlier than expected, and the third-round rookie out of Memphis didn’t disappoint.
During his rookie season, Gibson appeared in 14 games and started 10. He ran for 795 yards on 170 carries and a whopping 11 touchdowns. He also added 247 receiving yards on 36 catches.
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It was an impressive debut season for Gibson, especially considering that he played receiver during his two seasons at Memphis. He barely had any experience at the position during his college career and had just 33 total carries.
Still, Gibson showed exactly what Washington was hoping. He was explosive and had good burst at the line of scrimmage. He also had surprisingly good vision considering his lack of experience running between the tackles.
Even more impressively, he did that all with an abbreviated offseason because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s exciting to imagine how much better he could be with another year of development under his belt.
Gibson is definitely cemented as the starter for Washington in 2021. Hopefully, he’ll be to stay on the field for the whole season this time around.
Top third-down/pass-catching RB: J.D. McKissic
Last season, the Washington Football Team made several good investments in free agency. J.D. McKissic was one of them.
McKissic was signed to help replace Chris Thompson after he joined the Jacksonville Jaguars. While McKissic wasn’t thought of as a big piece for the offense, he ended up becoming one and was, at times, the second-best receiving threat on the field for Washington.
In his first year in Washington, McKissic set career-high marks in every major receiving category. He had 80 catches, 589 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns. And he was no slouch on the ground either. He had 85 carries, 365 yards and a rushing touchdown as well.
McKissic was a combination of dynamic and reliable. He could catch 10 passes a game out of the backfield as a checkdown but he also offered enough speed and elusiveness to break big plays. While he’s not built to carry a full workload as a running back, he can be an effective change of pace guy out of the backfield.
Given how important having pass-catchers out of the backfield is for Scott Turner’s offense, McKissic will certainly be a big part of the Washington offense again in 2021. Even if he has to catch fewer checkdowns with Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback, Washington will still find a way to manufacture touches for him.
Between-the-tackles backup: Peyton Barber
This is where things start to get a bit more interesting. Many assumed that Washington would try to use a Day 3 pick on a running back to add depth behind Gibson and McKissic.
They didn’t. So, that likely means that Peyton Barber will once again be the top between-the-tackles backup for Washington behind Gibson since McKissic can’t handle more than a handful of carries per game.
Barber wasn’t particularly impressive for Washington last year. He averaged 2.7 yards per carry, and that marked the fifth consecutive year during which his mark in that category fell.
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That said, Barber still has a role to play in the backfield. He a great short-yardage and goal-line specialist, and that’s part of the reason that he was able to rack up four touchdowns on just 94 carries last year.
And Barber did, at times, show that he had some juice left in his legs. That included an 11-carry, 57-yard performance against the Cowboys on Thanksgiving. Granted, Dallas had an awful run defense in 2020, but it still showed that if needed, Barber could provide a little something.
Barber would, frankly, be better suited as a fourth-string running back that could play on special teams and serve as a goal-line hammer. As a backup, he’s not awe-inspiring, as he’s simply not a dynamic runner. He’s mostly a physical, strength-based player.
If Barber is the plan B to Gibson between the tackles, Washington better hope that the second-year pro can stay healthy. Because if Barber has to start for the team, that could render them, largely, one dimensional.
Fourth RB/Potential Practice Squader: Jaret Patterson
Behind Barber, Washington has a few running back options. They could opt to keep three on the roster, but if they do keep four, Patterson stands a chance to make the 53-man roster.
Patterson was a hyper-productive college player who had at least 1,072 rushing yards in each of the three seasons he played at Buffalo. He racked up 2,008 yards from scrimmage in 2019 and had over 1,000 rushing yards and a whopping 19 TDs in just six games during his final collegiate seasons.
Patterson (5-foot-9, 195 pounds) isn’t a look to make the Washington roster, but as detailed by our own Jacob Troutman, he has some traits that could give him a chance to succeed.
Washington Commanders
"Despite his smaller frame and limited ability in the passing game, Patterson still possesses many positive traits to counteract these perceived weaknesses. He is surprisingly a strong runner, shrugging off any and all arm tackles. His 40 time (4.52) does not show it but he was also explosive in the run game as well, a threat to do a house call on any given play. His lower center of gravity with his smaller frame helps with his contact balance as he is able to stay on his feet after contact. He keeps his feet moving at all times and fights for extra yards. He also is a capable and willing blocker in pass protection, which gives him some value as a potential every-down back despite his limited upside as a pass-catcher."
Is Patterson guaranteed to succeed at the next level? No, certainly not. But the team could do worse with a potential fourth spot at running back. If Patterson can show some special teams ability and add some value as a pass catcher, there’s a chance he could make the team.
Don’t count out Patterson either way. There’s a reason that he was the only undrafted free agent Washington decided to sign to a deal following the 2021 NFL Draft.
Washington Football Team practice squaders/roster cuts
The Washington Football Team has a couple of RBs on their roster that may be hard-pressed to make the team. Each player could compete for a spot, but whether or not there’s a spot for either player remains to be seen.
Lamar Miller. Miller joined Washington late last season to serve as depth amid Antonio Gibson’s injury issues. However, he didn’t do anything of note for the team. He’s 30 and has barely played since suffering a torn ACL in the preseason for the Houston Texans in 2019.
While Miller is experienced, it’s simply hard to see where he fits in with this team. Maybe Washington will like him more than Peyton Barber. Or maybe they’ll opt to keep him over a guy like Patterson. But it’s more likely that Washington will stick with a younger player in their third or fourth RB role for this season.
Jonathan Williams. Washington is the sixth team that Williams has played for since coming into the league in 2016. While he had a nice run with the Colts in 2019 — he averaged 4.8 yards per carry on 49 totes — he has never lasted in any of his locations.
Keeping Williams around as a practice squad veteran could be appealing, but at this stage in his career, he’s just another back-end roster candidate. And while he still has some upside, it is rapidly dwindling for the 27-year-old.
Maybe Miller or Williams can make the team. But I wouldn’t bet on it.
What to make of the Washington Football Team’s RB room
It’s crazy how different the Washington Football Team’s running back room looks this offseason compared to how it did last offseason.
In 2020, there was a debate about Peterson vs. Guice for the starting job while others questioned how Gibson and Bryce Love would fit into the equation. Less than a calendar year later, only one of the players, Gibson, remains with the team.
In 2021, Washington’s backfield looks talented. Gibson proved himself as a rookie and should have a chance to become one of the better backs in the NFL, provided that he stays healthy. McKissic is a nice receiving back and change of pace player for the offense, and Turner knows exactly how to use him.
Beyond that though, the depth that once appeared to be a major asset for the WFT is no longer there. That’s fine, as they have enough talented players to get by at the position. However, if either Gibson or McKissic has to miss time in 2021, they could find themselves relying on players like Barber, Patterson, Miller and Williams to carry the club. That certainly wouldn’t be ideal.
Of course, you can always pick up productive running backs on the free-agent market during the season. We’ve seen veterans get signed and pop off before. It could happen once again if Washington finds themselves shorthanded.
But for now, things look okay. It will, however, be interesting to see how the depth at this position looks a few months from now.