Should Washington Redskins sign Stevan Ridley?

The Washington Redskins are in the market for running back depth behind feature back Alfred Morris, as Roy Helu left this offseason to take the third-down back job with the Oakland Raiders. Helu quietly did a great job behind Morris as the change-of-pace guy, so the Redskins have to find an adequate replacement for him. It seems like they aren’t restricting their options to pass-catching backs, though, because they’ve recently shown interest in a back who isn’t known for his work on passing downs.

According to ESPN Boston’s Mike Reiss, former New England Patriots feature back Stevan Ridley is visiting the Redskins today after receiving interest from the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets. That’s a pretty good list of interested teams, as Ridley is coming off of an ACL tear.

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He’s also one of the league’s most underrated backs, because Ridley ran for 1,263 yards in his breakout 2012 season and has been solid ever since despite multiple benchings for fumbling issues. Outside of last year’s season-ending injury, Ridley hasn’t had any durability questions, so his only issues are ball security and a lack of an impact on passing downs. His career high for receptions in a single season is ten, so it’s safe to say that he’s hoping for a two-down, short-yardage role.

But Ridley is a more versatile rusher than most players slotted for two-down roles, because he has enough speed to gain chunks of yardage on the outside, in addition to moving the pile on the inside with his strength and vision. His keep-it-churning rushing style allowed him to average nearly 80 yards per game back in 2012, so he would be a strong addition for teams looking for a running back partner who can move the ball on the ground.

Ridley’s talent alone makes him a smart signing for almost any team, because he’ll likely be a bargain on a one-year, prove-it deal. Just 26, Ridley has plenty of football ahead of him, as it would be a surprise for last year’s ACL tear to prevent him from being effective going forward.

The problem is that the Redskins don’t need Ridley, because they have a clear workhorse back in Morris, who has been one of the league’s best and most consistent rushers ever since coming into the league in 2012. He averaged career lows in yards per carry (4.1) and yards per game (67.1), but he still managed to clear 1,000 rushing yards despite being in a less favorable position with Jay Gruden. The hiring of Bill Callahan should help him in 2014, and Morris was undoubtedly an elite back in his first two seasons in the league.

Like Ridley, Morris is purely a two-down back who can win inside or outside, and his career high for receptions is 17. It’s pretty clear that while Ridley can help this team out, it might not behoove them to take a significant number of carries away from Morris, who averaged 4.8 and 4.6 yards per carry in each of his first two seasons.

With Helu gone, this team’s biggest question at the running back position is whether or not they have an explosive change-of-pace guy on the roster. Chris Thompson has more than enough potential to be that player, but it doesn’t matter how often the coaching staff talks him up if he can’t manage to get on the field and stay healthy. As always, Thompson is a darkhorse to watch for, but the Washington Redskins simply can’t count on anything from him.

Of course, the Redskins also have second-year pro Silas Redd on the roster as a potential third-down option, but it would probably be best for them to go after a late-round back or sign a veteran who can contribute on passing downs. If the Redskins want a sure thing, then it would be best for them to follow up on their initial interest in a certain veteran back who caught 77 passes in 2013.

ESPN NFL Nation’s John Keim reported last week that the Redskins have shown interest in former New Orleans Saints well-rounded back Pierre Thomas, who was a cap casualty this offseason. Thomas, who has been mildly linked to the Patriots as a more sure-handed replacement for Shane Vereen than another former Saint in Travaris Cadet, isn’t a flashy player, but he can catch passes as a safety valve, block well, and average a solid number of yards per carry if given 50-100 rushes.

Oct 5, 2014; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots running back Stevan Ridley (22) rushes against the Cincinnati Bengals during the third quarter at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports

In short, if the Redskins want to fill their biggest need in the backfield and give Robert Griffin III (or Colt McCoy…or someone else) a known commodity as a safety valve on passing downs, then Thomas would make the most sense.

Drafting someone would give the Redskins a higher-upside player who is considerably younger than the aging Thomas, though the free agent’s age isn’t an issue on what would be a cheap, one-year deal inked following the draft.

Stevan Ridley is such a talented rusher that I wouldn’t complain if the Redskins were to sign him, especially since it wouldn’t take much to bring him on board.

But unlike, say, the Dolphins, the Redskins starting running back already has a similar skill-set to his, as this is a team that should look to land a third-down back in free agency (if anyone at all, because there’s always the draft) instead.

Either way, I don’t anticipate this team making a move until after the major wave of undrafted free agency, simply because there’s so much depth at RB in this year’s draft that it would be best to be patient. Ridley could easily sign before then, but Thomas would most likely be available in May.

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