The competition for starting running back on the Washington Football Team just got a bit more interesting.
Groundbreaking news dropped late on Friday afternoon, as it was announced that RB Derrius Guice had turned himself in to the police for an alleged domestic violence incident, and minutes later the team released him altogether. Despite what happens for Guice and his future in football, which might be a bit dicey considering his lengthy injury history to go along with a potential legal timeline, it’s clear that he is not in the cards for the future in Washington.
So where does that leave them? Not in a terrible position, to be honest. Thankfully, running back is one of the deeper positions on the team in Washington, where five players now stand to compete for a spot on the roster. We have speculated in the past that Washington might choose to carry four backs on the 53-man roster, but now it could stand to reason that they will keep all five — Adrian Peterson, Bryce Love, Antonio Gibson, Peyton Barber, and J.D. McKissic — and protect against depth or lack of production down the road.
It would be easy to believe that the RB1 job is Peterson’s to lose at this point, as he’s held that role for much of the past two seasons, and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. There are also high hopes for both Love and Gibson, who fans in Washington have yet to see outside of some impressive college careers. Both Barber and McKissic, who might have struggled to find a spot on the roster before Guice’s release, will now likely be members of the team going forward, and they can add some crucial depth when called upon.
So is the news about Guice unfortunate? Absolutely. Any domestic violence issue is abhorrent and shameful, and should not be taken lightly. Credit to Ron Rivera and the team for releasing him immediately, showing that this type of behavior absolutely has no place in Washington. Will the team be able to make due going forward? Again, absolutely. It will be the next man up for the Washington Football Team, and luckily there are a lot of men waiting in line for that RB spot.
