Latest On Redskins’ RB Situation

The Redskins selected Stanford running back Bryce Love in the fourth round of the 2019 draft yesterday, and running back Derrius Guice — whom Washington drafted in the second round last year — promptly tweeted out a nonplussed emoji that drew plenty of attention on the NFL Network’s draft coverage. Guice later said his tweet was not a response to the Love selection at all, but regardless of his thoughts on the matter, the pick does set up an interesting dynamic in the team’s RB room.

Guice, of course, tore his ACL last August, thereby ending his rookie campaign before it started. There was a report in December that his recovery had hit a snag, though he was said to be sprinting at full-speed in February. The last we heard, Guice was aiming for a training camp return, and as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wrote this morning, head coach Jay Gruden expects the LSU product to be back prior to the start of training camp. Gruden also refuted the December report that Guice’s rehab was delayed, and he added that the Love selection is no reflection on Guice.

Gruden said, “[The Love pick] is no reflection of anybody. We just got an opportunity to draft one heck of a player with an unbelievable production at a big-time school.”

Love entered his final collegiate season as a potential Heisman candidate after a tremendous junior year, but he put together an underwhelming campaign before tearing his ACL in December. There has been some chatter that Love could redshirt his rookie season in Washington as he continues to recover, but Love himself said he plans to be ready to go by the middle of training camp.

That is probably a little ambitious, and Love may very well spend the entire season the PUP list. But if he is ready to suit up at some point this year, it would create a logjam in Washington. The team is also rostering Adrian Peterson — who signed a two-year pact in March — Chris Thompson, and Samaje Perine. As Florio notes, one or more of those players will be on the move when Love is ready to go.

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