Redskins Position Group Breakdown: Running Backs

May 2, 2018

by Jamual Forrest

Well, here we are again. The Washington Redskins position group breakdown is our weekly position group discussion overlooking the state of each group on the team leading into the Redskins training camp in August. This year we start with the Redskins’ running back group. The 2017 crop of running backs did not pan out well in the grand scheme of things. Jay Gruden loves the physicality of a running back; hence, the decision to draft Samaje Perine, a 236-pound running back who has decent speed. Perine was one of the strongest running backs of the 2017 NFL Draft, if not the strongest. Perine, who was also known for his excellent ball security in college, had issues his rookie season protecting the football. The best running back for the Redskins in 2017 was their scat-back/third-down running back Chris Thompson. Thompson, who was on pace to lead the league in yards per touch, was lost for the remainder of the season following a week 11 loss to the New Orleans Saints. Outside of the two most featured backs of 2017, Robert Kelley, Kapri Bibbs, and Byron Marshall all had brief stints with the team leaving mixed reviews. Heading into the 2018 season should be a different story, as the top is settled, but the depth is where the competition lies.

As it stands right now, 2018 Second-round draft pick Derrius Guice is the Redskins’ designated two-down running back. Guice provides the explosiveness, power, and vision to excel at a position that needs to not only compliment the offensive line but help the offensive line when the blocking is not so stable. Guice and Thompson will headline the crop of running backs Washington will feature this upcoming season. Behind those two backs, there is a need to fill out the depth chart with competency and consistency.

Robert Kelley broke onto the season in 2016 as an undrafted free agent. He tallied 704 yards on an average 4.2 yards per carry. His vision was above average, but his ability to shake defenders and always fall forward was attractive to coaches as well as the needs of the team. He was a pretty good back. 2017 was a different season though, as Kelley was asked to get prepared to carry the load as a running back and his body did not hold up. Along with injuries, the abilities that made him stand out as a back in 2016 diminished in 2017, and he finished the season with only seven games played. He will undoubtedly be fighting for a roster spot when training camp starts.

Kapri Bibbs, LeShun Daniels, and Byron Marshall had brief stints on the field in 2017. Featured as third-down backs in the absence of Chris Thompson, both Bibbs and Marshall showed the ability to catch the ball and make plays in the open field. However, Marshall’s season ended as early as it began when he suffered a season-ending injury in practice. Bibbs was the most impressive of the replacement backs of 2017, making him an early candidate to fill out the roster for the Redskins as the fourth running back.

Enter the wild card, Keith Marshall. Keith Marshall was a seventh-round draft pick in 2016 who missed all of the last two seasons due to lower body injuries. The speed-demon out of Georgia will be a low-priority due to how his last two seasons turned out, but Marshall is only 24. Marshall has at the very least two years left on his rookie contract. He is young enough to recover from his two injury-riddled seasons and impress the coaching staff enough to drop the other three running backs from consideration. It is a long shot given where the team has come since 2016, but it will be on Marshall to stay healthy and force the staff’s hand as he produces on the field. Look for Marshall to be in the mix come training camp and pre-season this year.

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