The past and future of the Washington running back room

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May 6, 2022

by Steve Thomas

Some Redskins Washington Football Team Washington Commanders Team that Abuses Women, Cheats on its Finances, and Takes Its Remaining Fans for Granted Washington fans seemed a bit confused about why Washington spent a third round pick last week on a running back, Brian Robinson Jr. from Alabama.  I’m here to tell you that it was a very smart move, one of the better decisions the team made in this year’s draft.

To better put this situation into context, let’s go back a few years to examine the state of Washington’s running back room:

2021 – Antonio Gibson was the feature back, but struggled most of the season.  J.D. McKissic was mostly in a receiving role before he got hurt, and Jaret Patterson as the principal backup to Gibson.  Taylor Heinicke’s rushing ability proved valuable.

  • Gibson: 258 carries, 1037 yds, 4.0 yds per carry, 7 TDs
  • McKissic: 48 carries, 212 yds, 4.4 yds per carry, 2 TDs;
  • Patterson: 68 carries, 266 yds, 3.9 yds per carry, 2 TDs
  • Total team rushing: 2061 yards (12th), 4.3 yds per attempt (20th)

2020 – Gibson was the feature back as a rookie, with Peyton Barber in the #2 role.  McKissic found his niche as a pass catching back.

  • Gibson: 170 carries, 795 yds, 4.7 yds per carry, 11 TDs
  • Barber: 94 carries, 258 yds, 2.7 yds per carry, 4 TDs
  • McKissic: 85 carries, 365 yds, 1 TD
  • Total team rushing: 1611 yds (26th), 4.0 yds per carry (28th)

2019: Adrian Peterson’s second and final year in Washington, and the end of Derrius Guice’s time in DC.  Chris Thompson’s final year with the team.

  • Peterson: 211 carries, 898 yds, 4.3 yds per carry, 5 TDs
  • Thompson: 37 carries, 128 yds, 3.7 yds per carry
  • Guice: 42 carries, 245 yds, 5.8 yds per carry, 2 TDs
  • Total team rushing: 1583 yds (22nd), 4.4 yds per carry (16th)

2018:  Peterson’s banner year with the team.  Washington’s next best runners were Thompson and Kapri Bibbs.

  • Peterson: 251 carries, 1042 yds, 4.2 yds per carry, 7 TDs
  • Thompson: 43 carries, 178 yds, 4.1 yds per carry
  • Bibbs: 20 carries, 101 yds, 5.0 yds per carry, 3 TDs
  • Total team rushing: 1774 yds (17th); 4.3 yds per carry (20th)

2017:  Samaje Perine’s first of 2 seasons with Washington.  The roster also included Thompson and Robert Kelley.

  • Perine: 175 carries, 603 yds, 3.4 yds per carry, 1 TD
  • Thompson: 64 carries, 294 yds, 4.6 yds per carry, 2 TDs
  • Kelley: 62 carries, 194 yds, 3.1 yds per carry, 3 TDs
  • Total team rushing: 1448 yds (28th), 3.6 yds per carry (30th)

I could go on and on here, but you get the point.  Washington’s running back room has been nothing but turnover and average at best to below average production.  At no point since the early days of the Alfred Morris / Robert Griffin III era has the running back group been consistently above average unit.  Adrian Peterson’s 2018 was really the only year that they had a truly productive running game, and even then, it was fairly mediocre by statistical measures.  Now, take a look at the running backs Washington drafted since Alfred Morris:

2013 – Chris Thompson, rd 5

Jawan Jamison, rd 7

2014 – Lache Seastrunk, rd 6

2015 – Matt Jones, rd 3

2016 – Keith Marshall, rd 7

2017 – Samaje Perine, rd 4

2018 – Derrius Guice, rd 2

2019 – Bryce Love, rd 4

2020 – Antonio Gibson, rd 3

2021 – none

2022 – Brian Robinson Jr, rd 3

What you should take from this list is that Washington hasn’t paid a ton of attention to the running back room in a long time.  Furthermore, the couple of times they have spent serious draft capital on this position, it’s been a total bust, such as Matt Jones and Derrius Guice.  Before 2013, we have to go all the way back to Ladell Betts, who was drafted in round 2 in 2002, to find the next running back drafted in round 3 or above.  Now, for the first time, the team has finally spent two starter-level picks on this position.  It’s a sign that the front office may be taking the running seriously.

I’ve previously written and talked about on The Hog Sty many times, Gibson’s effectiveness plummeted in 2021 as compared to his rookie year.  Part of the problem was certainly the offensive line, but it was also a case in which Gibson perhaps wasn’t being used in a way that maximizes his effectiveness.  It was apparent that as a rookie he was still learning the position after converting from wide receiver.  Gibson appears to be more of a slasher than an A gap power back, because the latter usually didn’t go well for him.  This is where Robinson comes in.  He has the look of a more traditional NFL interior rusher.  In Alabama’s offense, Robinson did run a variety of plays, but he’s best in the interior and as a blocker, and that’s mostly likely his highest and best use in DC.  Paired together, Gibson and Robinson could end up being a high-quality tandem whose skills complement each other nicely.  From that perspective, Robinson was an outstanding draft pick.  In order for this to come true, though, Gibson needs to get his yards per carry back up, because his 2021 season was actually worse than his 4.0 stat indicated – it was bolstered by a great week 18 performance against the Giants.

Only time will tell if Brian Robinson ends up being a long-term, productive career player for Washington, or whether he’s just the next in a long line of mediocre to unsuccessful Washington backs.  In the best case scenario, though, Washington will be able to use both of this players in such a way that their rushing attack can be a consistent, above-average threat for years to come.

So, has Washington just solidified its ground game for the foreseeable future?  I can’t answer that question here – only time will tell.  Regardless, one thing’s for certain: for the first time in a very long time, Washington is taking it seriously.