The expectations for Derrius Guice in his rookie season in 2018 were through the roof. The Washington Redskins drafted Guice with the 59th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft out of LSU in hopes he'd become the team's leading rusher.
Woefully, in Guice's preseason debut in 2018 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the rookie running back tore his ACL. As a result, the rookie running back was forced to be sidelined for the entire season last year.
After placing Guice on injured reserve, the team signed veteran Adrian Peterson to take his place in the offense. The former Minnesota Vikings running back rushed for 1,042 yards and seven touchdowns at 33 years old.
Over the course of this offseason, Guice has been relentlessly working to put himself in position to be the team's starter moving forward. However, it seems as if Peterson will begin the season as the official starter while Guice continues to improve his game.
Nonetheless, it was nice to see the second-year running back see some preseason action for the first time since his devastating injury last year. In Week 3 of the preseason against the Atlanta Falcons, Guice rushed for 44 yards on 11 carries.
As for the regular season, Washington will likely still find ways to utilize their second-round pick from 2018. Here are three last-minute predictions for Derrius Guice in his second season with the Redskins.
3. Guice Will Rush for 800 Yards
Due to Peterson getting the nod as the team's starting running back this season, it's tough to gauge what role Guice will play in the offense. However, the team didn't use a second-round draft pick on him in 2018 for him to sit the bench for this season.
Entering his second season, the former LSU Tiger seems to be in better shape than he was last year and is poised for a large share of the offense. Along with Peterson and Guice, the Redskins also want to incorporate Chris Thompson in their offense.
With that being said, the 22-year old running back should garner more and more touches as the season progresses. Of course, last season we didn't get to see Guice show his talent in his rookie season so there's nothing to go off of for this season.
Nevertheless, expect Guice to make the most of his opportunities and rush for at least 800 yards on the ground in 2019.
2. Guice Will Score Eight Touchdowns
No matter who is under center for the Redskins in 2019, the team wants to establish their running game to ease the pressure off of their quarterbacks. Expect a heavy dose of Peterson and Guice to begin the season to wear defenses down.
The Redskins had just 12 rushing touchdowns as a team in 2018 with Peterson accounting for seven of them. Now, Washington has three running backs who can create fits for opposing defenses.
At 5-foot-11, 225 pounds, Guice fits the mold of being a short-yardage running back with his ability to bulldoze defenders. When the Redskins get near the goal-line, we could see them insert Guice into the backfield to have him rumble his way into the end zone.
As a result, the Redskins second-year running back should have a chance at finding the end zone eight times on the ground.
1. Guice Will Be the Full-Time Starter This Season At Some Point
As mentioned before, the Redskins seem to be leaning towards giving the nod to Peterson to begin the season as the team's starting running back. Along with Peterson, Washington has to divvy up some touches for Guice and Thompson as well.
By the end of the season, the Redskins will have Guice as the full-time starter in their offense. The team didn't use their second-round selection in the 2018 NFL Draft for nothing.
The team will likely play it cautious with their young running back at first but at some point, the Redskins have to be ready to hand the keys to the backfield to Guice. There's a chance we see Washington trade or release Peterson in the season or gradually make him a small part of their offense.
At 34-years old, Washington should know that Peterson isn't part of their long-term future. When Week 17 rolls around in the season, fans in Washington could very well see rookie Dwayne Haskins and Guice in their backfield.
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