Washington Football Team: Three players who’ll have our full attention against Bengals

The Washington Football Team will play on its home field for the first time in the preseason, against the Bengals on Friday. They will unveil their newly renovated field to a national audience on the NFL Network.

Unfortunately, Washington’s defense won’t get to face former No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow, as he is sitting out this week’s contest. As far as Washington is concerned, it is safe to expect that they will play most of its starters one quarter again.

There are many players that are in need of a big performance against the Bengals. There are position battles like the starting left guard, that still need to be decided. As Ereck Flowers has gotten more reps with the first team this week, it seems he is making a late push for that title.

But another important development to watch during the preseason is how individual players are progressing for the Football Team. We highlighted three players for the Patriots game last week and we are eyeing three more for this week’s game.

Without further ado, let’s dive in!

Three players to eye against Bengals for the Washington Football Team

3. RB Peyton Barber

Jaret Patterson has become the darling of the fanbase after his impressive performance against the Patriots, so it would have been easy to go with him in the place of Barber. However, everyone will be eyeing Patterson, so let’s change it up.

Many beat reporters believe that Barber’s roster spot is relatively safe. The coaching staff likes him for the role he provides. Despite his lack of efficiency, the coaching staff is high on Barber’s ability in the third-and-shorts.

However, Barber lacks much explosiveness and Gibson tacked on 11 touchdowns in his first season at running back. That points to a player that could grow into an efficient back in short-yardage situations.

Couple that with the emergence of Jaret Patterson, a more explosive back that could provide more upside in case of injury, and Barber’s spot may not be as safe as one would think.

That is why Barber is one to watch in Friday’s game. Specifically, we will be watching to see if Barber can offer a more diverse skillset. If not, his standing on the roster could become more in question.

He has lost weight over the offseason so maybe that can improve his game, but backs with  Barber’s skillset come a dime-a-dozen these days.