Thank you for everything, @AdrianPeterson. pic.twitter.com/nWQMa7kYxE
— Washington Football Team (@WashingtonNFL) September 4, 2020
The Washington Football Team made the surprise move to release veteran RB Adrian Peterson on Friday morning, just a day before final cuts to the 53-man roster were due to be made.
Peterson, who will go down in NFL history as one of the best backs to play the game, was expected to be the starting RB for Washington once the 2020 season got going a week from now, but that obviously isn’t the case anymore. Goin forward, it seems that the rookie Antonio Gibson is going to be the guy for Washington.
So why did Washington decide to do this? There are a number of reasons that we could think of, so let’s try to break them down.
Peterson’s Fit Wasn’t Perfect
In the new offense in Washington, run by OC Scott Turner, it had become clear that AP wasn’t a perfect fit anymore throughout training camp, with the new goal to be up-tempo and quick off the edges, rather than a bruising, down-hill back like AP. At 35-years-old, Peterson is definitely not the spring chicken who could once dance and cut behind the line, and it was clear that Washington thought that they would be better off cutting ties early.
The Young Guys Take the Reigns
One of the main factors in cutting AP had to also be the emergence of rookie RB Antonio Gibson over the past couple of weeks. After being drafted by Washington in the third round this past year, Gibson has had a great training camp thus far, and his fit in Turner’s offense is close to perfect. Washington also has RB Bryce Love and J.D. McKissic to help balance the load, and RB Peyton Barber is an Adrian Peterson-lite version in running style.
The Roster Spot is Key
With final cuts due a day from now, Washington is going to have to make some tough decisions when it comes to offensive line, wide receiver, linebacker, and safety. Ron Rivera has said how tough those decisions will be, and it’s clear that the roster spot held by Adrian Peterson will seemingly better suit the team used elsewhere.
