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Washington Redskins running back Adrian Peterson has made it clear that he has come to play an integral role in this offense. However, it appears his spot on the team is anything but a sure thing.
Washington signed Peterson to help add some depth following the recent injuries to their backfield. According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, head coach Jay Gruden indicated that his performance in the preseason will dictate his future with the team.
“A little bit of both probably. We’ll weigh everything out and his performance will also have a lot to do with it. What he does, not only Friday, but during the weeks of practice leading up to the games.”
Despite the injury of running back Derrius Guice, Washington still has some viable options to work with. Gruden elaborated on his potential plans for Peterson.
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“We have a third-down back, and I wouldn’t ask Adrian [Peterson] to be on third down with all the things he’d have to learn right now,” Gruden said. “Chris [Thompson], Byron [Marshall] and Kapri [Bibbs] have that stranglehold. Really, we are looking for first and second down guys. Obviously third down, short to medium [Peterson would] be in there, but that’s what we are looking for.”
This has to be good news for Peterson considering that is where he found most of his success last season. While his performance fluctuated throughout the year, he still showed plenty of promise prior to the neck injury. He will be competing with running backs Rob Kelley and Samaje Perine for the early-down work.
Washington has an idea of what they are getting with a healthy Peterson. However, Kelley and Perine still have yet to prove themselves as a clear-cut option which is why the team has invested so heavily in the backfield over the last several years. Guice was poised to secure a workhorse role before tearing his ACL. That said, there is a very good chance that Peterson fills in for the year until this year's second-round pick returns. Regardless, this will be a great opportunity for the veteran to show that he still has some fuel left in the tank.
