Tag: Bryce Love

Lack of preseason games could be detrimental to Bryce Love in Washington

Bryce Love will do well to make the roster in Washington this season, but the lack of preseason games will make that job a lot harder.

One of the biggest victories that was handed to the Washington Football Team this offseason came recently, when it was announced that second-year running back Bryce Love was cleared to play for the 2020 season. As a highly-anticipated fourth-round draft pick in 2019, Love was forced to sit on the bench during his entire rookie season while rehabbing from a knee injury suffered in college.

While the green light to play is a big step in the process to getting his NFL career off the ground, there is still a long ways to go for Love to have an impact in Washington. With such a crowded backfield that consists of a future Hall-of-Famer and potential playmakers wherever you look, it will be a tall task for Love to even make the 53-man roster this season, though many believe he can. Unfortunately, the lack of preseason games this year will definitely make it harder to do so.

As with many young players who are riding close to the cut line, missing out on four preseason games could mean the difference between getting a shot during the regular season, or being relegated to the practice squad. We just have to hope that Love shows enough ability in training camp and practice to earn his spot on the team. From there, his college highlights show just what is possible when you get the ball in his hands.

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Top Quotes: RB coach Randy Jordan thrilled with talent and depth in backfield

Coach Jordan is one of the few to hold over in Washington under Ron Rivera, and his experience with this group of players could be valuable.

While many of the position coaches who will have a say on what the Washington Football Team looks like in 2020 are new to most fans, running backs coach Randy Jordan is one of the few holdovers from the previous staff. When Ron Rivera took over as the head coach, he chose to keep Jordan around, hoping that his familiarity with the current roster in Washington would help push that position to new heights.

Judging by the talent that currently stands in the Washington backfield, he won’t have to push very hard, as long as everyone is able to stay healthy.

On Friday afternoon, Jordan sat down with media members in Washington to discuss this abnormal offseason, as well as what to expect going forward. Here are some of his top quotes.

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Is Washington’s stable of running backs underrated going into 2020 season?

There is some confidence in the RB room in Washington, but they seem to be underrated by much of the league going into 2020.

If you were to rank the position groups in Washington, there is no question that the defensive line sits at the very top, with a huge lead on the next closest. However, if you were to remove the dynamic lineup of Chase Young, Montez Sweat, Daron Payne, Jonathan Allen, Matt Ioannidis, and Ryan Kerrigan, which group stands the tallest?

It’s got to be the running backs, right? With a healthy Derrius Guice and Bryce Love, along with an ageless Adrian Peterson and hopefully dynamic Antonio Gibson, there is a lot of production to be had. Throw in the fact that either Peyton Barber or J.D. McKissic might find a way on to the team as well, and it’s clear that the backfield is where it’s at on offense.

So why did Pro Football Focus rate Washington’s RBs as the 26th best group in the NFL? Here was their reasoning.

The situation at running back will be determined by how much Adrian Peterson has left at age 35. He carried a heavy workload last season, totaling 211 carries and earning a 69.7 rushing grade to go along with a 4.3 yards per carry average. He’s still an effective runner, but he’s not the same dynamic big-play threat that he was earlier in his career.

Former second-rounder Derrius Guice showed the flashes that made him a home-run threat coming out of LSU, as he averaged 5.8 yards per carry on his 42 rushes. He’s battled injuries in his first two years in the league, but he should steal more touches if he’s healthy in 2020.

The wild card is third-round pick Antonio Gibson, a running back/wide receiver hybrid who could become one of the team’s best playmakers. Gibson averaged a ridiculous 11.2 yards per carry and 19.3 yards per reception in his hybrid role at Memphis last year, and Washington will do everything they can to get his 4.39 speed on the field.

Hard to argue with a lot of that, but it’s assuming the worst from the group. If Guice can live up to what we saw in flashes during 2019, and both Love and Gibson can do some of what made them so dynamic in college, Washington will definitely be able to lean on the run game on offense.

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Ranking the Redskins running backs by level of job security in 2020

With six viable candidates at running back, the Redskins will likely have to cut at least one or two players before the final roster is set.

One of the main questions surrounding the Washington Redskins offense is what they’re going to do when it comes to the running back personnel. Across the board, there are some concerns about depth at certain positions, with a hope that the players slotted on the depth chart at TE and WR can live up to the billing.

At the running back position, however, the Redskins have no shortage of bodies that they can throw in there, and a lot of the players should instill a good bit of confidence as well. So while Adrian Peterson and Derrius Guice are seemingly locked, alongside offseason additions like Antonio Gibson (Draft), Peyton Barber (FA), and J.D. McKissic (FA), who will still be standing by the time week 1 rolls around? There’s also Bryce Love, who was drafted in 2019, hoping to make a return before long as well. With six viable options at the RB spot and a reasonable expectation that Washington may only keep four or five on the roster, somebody is going to get the short end of the stick. But who? Let’s break it down.

Tier 3 — On the Cut Block

Players: Bryce Love, J.D. McKissic, Peyton Barber

Is it harsh to say that any one of these three players are on the chopping block without having had a chance to even prove themselves in Washington yet? Absolutely. Do you feel confident staking your life that any of these players will be on the roster in Week 1 of the 2020 season? Absolutely not.

Let’s start with Love. The Redskins drafted Love in the 2019 draft, and he was meant to be a play for the future, seeing as he was recovering from a torn ACL, and not expected to play for much of his rookie season. That recovery has unfortunately taken a bit longer than expected, and we are still without a clear idea of when he will return to the field. Assuming that he can come back and play this season, it will be extremely interesting to see what he can do on the field. Judging by his time at Stanford, where he was nominated for the Heisman Trophy in 2017, the talent is there. However, if he can’t get on the field, then it becomes no question.

As for McKissic and Barber, both are coming into a tough situation. Both have had decent careers in the NFL, though nothing spectacular, and now they are being asked to crack an RB rotation in Washington where they’re playing from behind right out of the gate. While the Redskins are likely to deploy offenses that match both of their skill-sets — Barber is a power-runner, and McKissic is a great pass-catching third-down back — it seems highly unlikely that both men will get the job come September if either does at all.

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What Redskins’ selection of RB Antonio Gibson tells us about Bryce Love

The Redskins added another RB with their 3rd round pick, which may tell us that Bryce Love isn’t as close to returning as we hoped.

The Washington Redskins seemingly threw a bit of a curveball at us with the No. 66 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, taking RB Antonio Gibson from Memphis.

While there were some skilled left tackles, cornerbacks and tight ends left on the board, the Redskins chose to add another player to their already crowded backfield. With Adrian Peterson, Derrius Guice, Peyton Barber, J.D. McKissic, and Bryce Love already on the roster, this might raise a few eyebrows. However, we can take it as some major intel into the Bryce Love situation.

Love was drafted in the fourth round of the 2019 draft despite undergoing knee surgery just months earlier, and he sat out the entirety of his rookie season. Many have hope that he will be healthy enough to return to the field this summer and be ready to go by the time the 2020 season rolls around, but if Washington’s selection of Gibson is any indication, that may not be the case.

The addition of Gibson also helps alleviate the loss of Chris Thompson in free agency, though he wasn’t too productive in his final years with the Redskins. As a highly versatile player that can catch passes out of the backfield and line up in the slot, Redskins offensive coordinator Scott Turner will have a field day scheming to get Gibson in the offense and finding ways to let him work.

If you look at some of the young weapons on Washington’s offense, you’ll start to see why the Redskins took Gibson. Terry McLaurin, Steven Sims, Derrius Guice, Kelvin Harmon, and now Antonio Gibson. What a great day to be Dwayne Haskins.

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JD McKissic says pass-catching ability sets him apart from other Redskins RBs

McKissic knows it will be a tough competition for RB snaps this offseason, but he knows his ability as a pass-catcher will help set him apart.

The Washington Redskins will be dealing with a number of new things in 2020. Whether that be new players, new coaches, or new schemes, everything will be a bit fresh for the majority of players on the roster, and the coaches will have to manage that newness while they try to navigate an uncertain offseason.

This is one of the reasons Washington made a point to focus on veteran players who they have some familiarity with this offseason. Players like Kendall Fuller, Thomas Davis, and Kyle Allen. Players that they won’t have to hold the hand of through every step of the learning period.

Another player that could be fit into this category is running back JD McKissic. The Redskins added the four-year pro to their deep stable of running backs, hoping he can compete for a share of the workload and find his way into offensive success. Lucky for McKissic, he has a leg up on other players on the depth chart, seeing as he is the lead pass-catching back on the roster. The others are capable, but McKissic is proficient, and that matters in Scott Turner’s new offense.

Think about Christian McCaffery, who had over 1,000 yards receiving and four touchdowns in 2019 alone. He was operating in Turner’s system — a system that is now in Washington, looking for a pass-catching back to shoulder some of the load. McKissic is a great candidate, seeing as he played wide receiver at Arkansas state in college. While his size forced him to transition into a scat-back role in the NFL, that doesn’t change his mindset.

“I will always feel like I’m a receiver just because I’ve done it my whole life,” he said, via NBC Sports Washington. “I never want to lose my receiver ability. I feel like it’s kept me in the league to do something different. That’s what sets me apart from a lot of other guys.”

It will have the chance to set him apart in Washington as well. Turner’s offense excels with a pass-catching back on the roster, and outside of McKissic, there are few people to fill that role. Adrian Peterson is better used elsewhere; Derrius Guice proved able in 2019, though it’s too small of a sample size to glean anything from. Who knows if Bryce Love will be healthy, and Peyton Barber has never had more than 20 receptions per season in his career.

That leaves McKissic. In a highly-competitive battle for playing time, he has a way to set himself apart from the rest.

“I got to keep my route running up. I can’t let them forget that I was a wide receiver.”

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Report: Redskins to pursue Cardinals RB Kenyan Drake if available in free agency

Drake may not ever make it to free agency, but if he does, the Redskins are reportedly interested in bringing him onto the roster.

Though the need isn’t high up on the list of things to address this offseason, it wouldn’t come as a shock to see the Washington Redskins look to add another running back to the roster in free agency or the NFL Draft over the coming months.

As it stands now, Adrian Peterson is the incumbent RB1 in Washington, while both Derrius Guice and Bryce Love are sitting in the waiting, hoping to stay healthy long enough to make a difference in the offense. However, their struggles with injury over the past couple of years present a legitimate need for the Redskins to add depth to the position.

A recent report from ESPN’s John Keim on his podcast, The John Keim Report, says that Washington might look to land a big fish on the free agency market, should his current team agree to let him walk.

“One guy I think they could, and will pursue if he’s free, is Arizona running back Kenyan Drake,” Keim said. “I had one league source tell me that’s what he thinks the Redskins will do based on the chatter that you hear. Drake would be a good fit; a back who could help both as a runner and as a receiver.”

There were rumors that the Redskins could potentially look to trade for Arizona RB David Johnson earlier this season, but landing Drake would be an even bigger get, as he’s coming off of a monster stretch of the 2019 season, where he totaled eight touchdowns in eight games after being traded to the Cardinals mid-season.

Because of that, there’s no guarantee that the Cardinals will let Drake go, and many believe they will do everything they can to re-sign him once free agency rolls around. However, should he hit the open market, it would make sense for the Redskins to try to sign him. As a veteran player who still has a lot left in the tank, Drake could complement the Redskins’ roster as a dynamic change-of-pace from Peterson, and he could likely be signed on a contract worth $8-9 million per season.

The first step of this all is seeing whether or not Drake is available to sign when the time comes. But if he is, the Redskins might be quick to get in his ear.

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Could Redskins be a potential landing spot for Cardinals RB David Johnson?

The Cardinals are likely to trade Johnson, and they could offer a couple of picks to whichever team is willing to take him off their hands.

Free agency is on everyone’s mind at the moment, and running back is not an area of need for the Washington Redskins. However, an interesting trade opportunity has presented itself recently, involving a once high-profile running back who could be on the move, and a team so desperate to rid of his bloated contract that they may offer a draft pick or two to whichever team is willing to take him off of their hands.

I’m talking about David Johnson and the Arizona Cardinals.

Those who hold memories of the 2016 NFL season are definitely listening now, while recent fantasy owners of Johnson might scoff a bit. After bursting onto the scene with 20 total touchdowns in his sophomore season, Johnson has struggled to live up to the high bar he set, totaling just 16 touchdowns in the three years since. An injury sidelined him in 2017, but the young and adept pass-catcher signed a three-year, $39 million contract with the Cardinals in 2018. Since then, he’s been relegated to a backup role in Arizona, and now the team is looking at the two years and more than $26 million left on his contract with disdain.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Cardinals owe so much guaranteed money to Johnson that they are unable to release him, but there is still a route for them to rid of his contract — via trade. It would take the Cardinals eating a bit of Johnson’s contract, or giving up a draft pick or two, simply in order to get their once-prized RB on a new team.

So could the Redskins take him off of their hands if they were to throw in a couple of mid-round picks? It’s possible.

Like we mentioned earlier, the Redskins don’t have much of a need at the running back position, with Derrius Guice nearing full recovery from a knee injury, Adrian Peterson likely to have his contract option picked up, and rookie Bryce Love set to make his NFL debut in the near future. However, this seems like a low-risk move that could potentially be a difference-maker in Washington; the Redskins have the extra salary cap to make it work, and they could add to their draft capital while bringing a veteran playmaker into the building. You may claim that Johnson is past his prime, and that could be true, but the Cardinals system was never a perfect fit for his playstyle, and a new set of scenery may be just what Johnson needs to jump-start his career.

It’s also important to mention that Johnson’s bread-and-butter is acting as a pass-catching RB out of the backfield, and the Redskins are likely to watch Chris Thompson — who played a similar role in Washington — walk in free agency this year.

It may be a long shot, but it at least should be mentioned and considered. Johnson has the ability to slice and dice opposing defenses when healthy and playing to his strengths. The Redskins would have to give up a little bit of money in order to get the deal done, but in return, they might receive some highly-valuable draft capital and a former super-star in the backfield. It’s worth considering.

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3 players the Redskins should let walk in 2020 free agency

The Redskins are unlikely to retain these three players once free agency rolls around, allowing them to find a new team.

As the free agency period in the NFL starts to draw near, we’ve focused a lot on the players that the Washington Redskins need to try and retain, and several more that they need to try and bring in from outside of the team.

Just as important, however, are the decisions that they need to make on current players who are set to become free agents in 2020. While it seems crucial for the Redskins to try and keep players like Brandon Scherff and Ereck Flowers around, who can Washington allow to walk on to the open market? These top three names might be free to look elsewhere once March 18th rolls around.

Chris Thompson — Running Back
NEW ORLEANS, LA – OCTOBER 08: Chris Thompson #25 of the Washington Redskins runs with the ball as Kurt Coleman #29 of the New Orleans Saints defends at Mercedes-Benz Superdome on October 8, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Things never really worked out for Thompson in Washington, unfortunately, and it seems that he’s likely missed his window to be a feature back in the Redskins’ offense. When healthy, Thompson was a solid piece for seven years with the Redskins, but he only amassed five total touchdowns in that time, and he often struggled to fight off injuries. missing 46 games over that period.

While he still holds value as a third-down back when he’s on the field, it’s likely that the Redskins will be able to move away from him in 2020, as they have Adrian Peterson and Derrius Guice shouldering much of the load, and a wildcard in Bryce Love will be available as well. Love, who is virtually a younger and more decorated version of Thompson, has a high ceiling that is almost guaranteed to give the Redskins the confidence to let Thompson walk in free agency this year.

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Bryce Love and Reuben Foster are expected to be fully healthy for 2020 season

Both Love and Foster missed the 2019 season due to injuries, but the two potential game-changers are on track to play in 2020.

The Washington Redskins added two players to their roster in 2019 that have loads of upside, and both are expected to play major roles in the future. The only problem was that neither player saw the field, as both were confined to the injured reserve for the entire season.

Luckily for fans, both Reuben Foster and Bryce Love are on track to be fully healthy for the 2020 season, according to Redskins.com.

Foster was signed by the Redskins in 2018 after he was released by the 49ers. He was initially put on the Commissioner’s Exempt list, holding him out of any action, and he later tore his ACL and LCL on the first day of minicamp last Summer, rendering him sidelined for his first full season in Washington. Months later, in October, he posted a video to social media of him running on a treadmill, with a caption pointing towards his return in 2020. Foster, who is a former first-round pick in 2017, will have a huge impact on the defense if he’s healthy.

As for Love, the Redskins knew they would be without him during his rookie year, but that didn’t stop them from drafting him in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Love was a standout running back at Stanford in college, and he finished as the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy Award in his junior year. Unfortunately, Love tore his ACL in December of 2018, which left him rehabbing for all of 2019 and sitting out for his junior year. Don’t let that extended absence detract you from his immense talent, though. In 2017, he rushed for 2,118 yards and 19 touchdowns with the Cardinal. If you can add that talent to a backfield that already includes Derrius Guice and Adrian Peterson, you’ve got something special cooking.

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