The Washington Redskins made a move on Wednesday that really shouldn't come as a surprise to many. They are officially bringing back running back Adrian Peterson for the 2020 season.
Peterson isn't getting any younger. In fact, he'll be 35 by the time the next season rolls around. However, he's still playing at a high level and has been extremely important to the team over the last two seasons.
With that in mind, it makes a lot of sense that Washington retained the running back.
Here are a few reasons it was the right move for the Redskins to bring back Peterson.
Money
This reason is short and sweet. Adrian Peterson will count for just $3-million against Washington's salary cap next season.
It would be hard to get that type of production for so cheap elsewhere. The Redskins would definitely need to bring someone in if they didn't bring back Peterson. And good luck getting a talented veteran for that cheap.
Especially one that brings so much to the table like Peterson does.
Veteran Leadership
And what does Adrian Peterson bring to the table, exactly? How about some veteran leadership. You could talk about how good he's been lately.
I mean last season he ran for 898 yards and five touchdowns on just 211 carries (4.3 yards per carry). That was with a non-existent passing game at some points and without him even playing in Week 1.
Peterson was incredible in 2019 and actually more consistent even than he was the year prior. However, what makes him most valuable is his leadership.
Washington's quarterback is Dwayne Haskins, who has half a season as a starter under his belt. Their top three receivers (Terry McLaurin, Kelvin Harmon and Steven Sims Jr.) were all rookies last year. Vernon Davis retired and no one knows what's going on with Jordan Reed, so a new tight end is needed as well.
Of course, Derrius Guice has just a few games as a running back in the NFL and the offensive line is in limbo right now with the Trent Williams situation.
So it's Peterson that's the true veteran of the offense and a real leader. He's perfect to help continue to mold Guice. He can help with Bryce Love as well, and probably offers a lot even for players like Haskins, who don't play the same position as him.
It's been proven that Peterson works perfectly for this locker room. Why switch it up?
Injuries/Workload
Guice and Love very well could be an elite-level backfield soon. Both running backs off a lot to the game and should have Redskins' fans excited.
That is, if they can stay healthy. Yes, you could argue it's really just one injury for Love and two for Guice. Both could end up being fine.
For now though, you have to at least wonder about it. And with that, comes wanting to keep their workloads manageable.
Love hasn't even played yet after being drafted last year. Guice on the other hand missed his entire rookie season in 2018 and appeared in just five games in 2019 (5.8 yards per carry shows how dangerous he is though).
Adrian Peterson will be there to help the two keep lighter work loads, at least to start. He's also proven to be invaluable as an injury insurance. When Guice has been unable to go these last two years, Peterson hasn't skipped a beat.
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