The Washington Redskins are playing for nothing but pride on Sunday. Adrian Peterson’s been great, but give the young Byron Marshall a share of carries.
Adrian Peterson‘s been great for the Washington Redskins in the 2018 season. This can’t be overlooked, especially considering his age and the fact that he wasn’t with the team until the preseason had already started. Due to that, he definitely does not deserve to be completely phased out of the offense. However, young running back Byron Marshall should get a fair-share of the carries in Week 17.
It can’t be understated how important Peterson has been to the Redskins this season. Washington lost rookie Derrius Guice in the preseason and Peterson stepped in big time.
The 33-year old has eclipsed 1,000 yards on the ground and helped a lackluster offense look good at times. That being said, he’s 33. He’s also on a one-year contract. There will probably be a solid market for Peterson as teams look to fill a void at the position.
It’s clearly time for the Redskins to start thinking about their future at running back. Guice is the obvious answer, but he isn’t available at the moment. Byron Marshall is though, and he could play a decent-sized role in the near-future with Guice healing and Chris Thompson‘s own injury past.
Marshall hasn’t shown too much so far in his career. It’s his third season and injuries have contributed to him staying off the field. The running back has appeared in 12 career games, carrying the ball 31 times for 105 yards. He’s also caught 13 passes for 76 yards.
None of those stats will jump out at you but Marshall is a solid combination back. He’s shifty but has enough size to help in power through if need be. Meanwhile, the 24-year old is a good receiving back and helps spread the field.
The Washington Redskins will need to figure out their running back situation behind Derrius Guice for next season. Adrian Peterson could return but it seems unlikely that he would when considering money and playing time.
Other teams will be able to offer more playing time for the future Hall-of-Famer, and the Redskins probably won’t shell out much money for someone they’d have splitting carries at best. Due to that, it’s time to look at other options. It’s time to give Byron Marshall some carries on Sunday.