Washington Redskins should draft a running back

By Andrew Long | Mar 20, 2015

The Washington Redskins possess a workhorse running back in Alfred Morris. He’s a strong runner who has the ability to locate a hole and quickly accelerate through it. Thanks to his impressive ball carrier vision, Morris is recognized as one of the better running backs in the NFL.

While Morris is Washington’s unquestioned starter, he lacks the ability to be a consistent threat in the passing game. He saw his receiving numbers improve slightly in 2014, as he hauled in 17 passes for 155 yards. Those numbers are okay, but they’re not anything that’s going to keep an opposing defensive coordinator up at night.

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Luckily for Washington, Morris wasn’t their primary running back in the passing game in 2014. Roy Helu, who recently inked a deal with the Oakland Raiders in free agency, took care of the third down duties since joining the Redskins in 2011.

Helu’s versatility was on full display last season, as he accounted for 693 yards from scrimmage on the year. A majority of those yards were gained in passing situations. Helu was actually Washington’s 4th best aerial weapon with 42 receptions for 477 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

The shifty running back dealt some damage on the ground, too. Helu was the Redskins second best runner in 2014; he registered 216 yards and a touchdown when carrying the rock, which is solid for a backup running back. Unfortunately for Washington, their offense lost all of that production when Helu opted to sign with the Raiders as a free agent.

The Redskins will have to find a way to replace the void left by Helu’s departure. I would much rather see Washington add a young running back in the draft than sign a player from the free agency pool.

During a Chalk Talk, an event for team suite holders at Redskins Park, Jay Gruden was asked several questions about the upcoming NFL draft. One of his answers had to with Washington’s backfield.

The second year head coach said, “You can never have too many good running backs. I think there’s some very, very good skill at running back, and when you’re talking about drafting players, you always want to protect the quarterback and get after the quarterback.”

The comments Gruden made during the event reveal a lot about Washington’s potential draft strategy. He mentioned protecting and getting after the quarterback, I believe the Redskins would use their higher draft picks to do this. If Washington opts to select pass protectors and pass rushers with their first few picks, that means that they’d likely add to their backfield in the later rounds of the draft.

If that were the case, the top tier of running backs would be gone. But, like Gruden stated, this year’s draft class is deep at running back and there should be ample talent available in the mid-late rounds. Some possible solutions to replace Roy Helu in the passing game include Miami’s Duke Johnson, Indiana’s Tevin Coleman, Nebraska’s Ameer Abdullah, and South Carolina’s Mike Davis.

Johnson and Coleman are likely to be off the board before Abdullah and Davis, but all four players are possibilities in the third or fourth round.

Next: Washington Redskins Draft: Potential Safeties

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