State of the Redskins Week 14: Running Backs Conundrum

Ashburn, Va. – Washington Redskins Head Coach Jay Gruden said during his injury run-down that running back Chris Thompson (shoulder) was out for this weekend’s game against the Chicago Bears. Anyone who knows Thompson knows that he is doing whatever he can possibly do to get healthy enough to play Sunday. Apparently however, there is concern that, not only will he not get enough strength back in that shoulder to go against the Bears but that he might not make any of the last three games. Knowing the former Florida Seminole however, he’ll do whatever he can.

With that said, it’s a bit perplexing that the team felt the need to sign another back when they already had veteran fullback Darrel Young on the 53-man roster who could step in for Thompson. Young has the experience and skills to handle third-down duties. He can catch, he can run and he can block. The Villanova alum knows the offense and is a core player on this team. He was instrumental in the success that the running game had the past three years and one has to wonder if RB Alfred Morris’ lack of success has something to do with the fact that “DY” is no longer his lead blocker. It’s amazing to think how much Young’s offensive snap count has dropped off this season, no doubt because of the tendency of the play-callers to now use so many tight end sets.

Instead of deploying Young on third downs for this game, Washington signed veteran running back Pierre Thomas to help fill the void left by Thompson. The 5’-11” 218 lbs. former New Orleans Saint has some pretty big shoes to fill… even if Thompson is three inches shorter than his new teammate. The shorter RB has been invaluable to the Redskins on third down, catching passes out of the backfield and steadily improving in pass-protection. He blocks like a guy twice his size and has an eye for the defense. He is also as quick and as shifty as they come.

Thomas was an undrafted free agent who was picked up by the Saints eight years ago. They released him after the 2014 season and he was with the San Francisco 49ers for a brief period. Thomas said today that the Redskins called him in the middle of one of his work outs recently (apparently, they had also talked during this offseason) and he was ready to roll. As a matter of fact, they picked a good week to call him in his eyes because he is from Chicago and is looking forward to being home albeit for a short time.

It is not clear whether or not the veteran will be ready to play by Sunday. Not only is there the issue of getting back into football shape what with the small amount of football he has played this year (one game with the 49ers) but there is the matter of learning Gruden’s system. Both the head coach and offensive coordinator Sean McVay spoke as if there was a real possibility of Thomas hitting the field Sunday even with as short a time as he’s been in Washington.

“He looked good,” McVay said about how the new RB looked in practice and how soon he can be integrated into the offense. “You know, he’s very familiar with a couple things that we’ll ask our running backs to do and he’s obviously had a lot of success throughout the course of his career. He did a good job picking up a couple little things that we did with him. We’re looking forward to seeing if he’s going to be ready to go Sunday.”

Gruden described Thomas as “very bright” and indicated that while he might get on the field Sunday, he would not have a full load if he gets there.

As far as Thomas goes, being the veteran that he is, he is very confident. He said he is willing to do whatever the team needs him to.

“I’m here to help out this team as much as I can,” he said after working for a long time on the practice field after most players had gone into the locker room. “They’ve seen my history in New Orleans and what I can do… especially on third down, catching the ball, blocking… also running. They say my position’s going to be limited but I told them, ‘Whatever it is, special team, offense… I’m down to help with whatever it is.’”

To a certain degree, it’s understandable that Washington went out and got themselves a veteran running back from a similar offensive system. While with the Saints, Thomas’ numbers were respectable, averaging anywhere between 3.0 yards-per-carry to 5.4 yards-per-carry each year for the eight he was with New Orleans.

There’s certainly no reason to hold anything against the man. He’s a perfectly likable, experienced veteran with a winning attitude. There are some highlight reels out there (from 2012 and 2014) that show a smart, speedy runner that surely would be an asset to any team. But with the number of other injuries in Washington — and in light of Young’s talent, experience and stature with the team — Thomas’ roster spot might have been used for a different position… at least until there was no doubt Thompson was out for the rest of 2015.