The Washington Redskins lost rookie running back Derrius Guice to a torn ACL in his first preseason game. It’s a crushing blow for the offense.
The Washington Redskins lost their preseason opener on Thursday night to the New England Patriots. No big deal. Unfortunately, Washington lost something much bigger in the loss at New England as rookie running back Derrius Guice suffered a torn ACL and will miss his rookie season, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
It’s a crushing blow for the Redskins.
With new quarterback Alex Smith in town, the Redskins expected to rely more on the running game in 2018. That meant adding some run-pass options for Smith and the running game and Guice was expected to be a big part of that. Combined with third-down back Chris Thompson, head coach Jay Gruden was excited about his new backfield.
Now, the Redskins must count on a host of players they had already tried to replace in Rob Kelley and Samaje Perine. Also in the mix are Kapri Bibbs — who flashed at times last season — and Byron Marshall. Marshall was already expected to make the team as Thompson’s primary backup. He’s an exciting threat in the passing game, much like Thompson.
To make matters worse, Guice looked strong in his debut. While the box score showed just six carries for 19 yards, Guice had one long run called back due to holding. On that run, Guice showed all of the reasons why he had Washington and its fans so excited. He displayed patience, speed, elusiveness and a nasty stiff-arm to cap off the run. It’s tough to find a runner with that combination of skills and it’s why Guice was considered a first-round talent coming out of LSU.
After last season’s rash of injuries, Gruden now must hope Thompson comes back 100 percent, while offensive tackles Trent Williams and Morgan Moses return to full strength and tight end Jordan Reed can stay on the field.
Washington had high hopes for its running game in 2018. Gruden felt having a better group of receivers with an improved running game would help in the red zone. Having Smith should help in the red zone, as his legs add an extra dimension to the offense, but no doubt losing Guice is a crushing blow.
Now, Kelley, Perine, Marshall and Bibbs have an opportunity and are likely battling for three roster spots. It’s too early to tell how this injury will affect Washington’s season, but things couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start.