For at least the third time in 10 days, the Washington Redskins' plan at running back is in flux.
Plan A was leaning heavily on rookie Derrius Guice, before an ACL injury ended his season.
Plan B was finding the right mix of Samaje Perine, Robert Kelley, Byron Marshall, Kapri Bibbs, et. al. Injuries in the second preseason game further decimated the stable.
Plan C will likely involve injecting new blood into the mix, perhaps including some very familiar veterans.
The first, and most intriguing, is Adrian "All Day" Peterson, as first reported by Redskins beat reporter John Keim:
The Redskins have contacted Adrian Peterson and will bring him in Monday, source said.
— John Keim (@john_keim) August 19, 2018At this point, the Redskins would be looking for significantly less than "all day" from the veteran, who is three years removed from his last 1,000-yard campaign. After spending much of his entire career in Minnesota, he toiled last year in New Orleans and Arizona, piling up a combined 529 yards at a 3.4 ypc clip.
Before moving on from New Orleans, there was some concern that he struggled to adapt to a part-time role. It would be interesting to see how that played out in Washington.
The team is also kicking the tires on Jamaal Charles, as first reported by Josina Anderson:
Free agent RB Jamaal Charles is scheduled to visit with the #Redskins today, per source.
— ig: josinaanderson (@JosinaAnderson) August 19, 2018Charles is four years removed from his last 1,000-yard season, but did average 4.3 ypc last year for the Denver Broncos as a role player. His skill set more closely matches Chris Thompson, who has the ability to run sideline to sideline or split out wide as a receiver.
According to Keim, both Peterson and Charles are expected to visit without working out. Orlean Darkwa, on the other hand, visited on Sunday and was put through the rigors of a solo workout. According to Kareem Copeland, Darkwa is looking for a starting job and may have to wait for that in Washington:
Can confirm Orleans Darkwa worked out with the #Redskins this morning. Flew in last night. Source says Darkwa is looking for a starting opportunity and it doesn't look like that's going to align with the Redskins at the moment. Things can change, but doesn't look like he'll sign.
— Kareem Copeland (@kareemcopeland) August 19, 2018If you ask Redskins head coach Jay Gruden, the moves are more to assess the market and decide what is available on the market:
Redskins coach Jay Gruden said they're just "covering their bases" by looking at running backs such as Jamaal Charles and Adrian Peterson. pic.twitter.com/yA72WsAOe8
— John Keim (@john_keim) August 19, 2018But in reality, the Redskins are quickly approaching "bare cupboard" in the running back room. In addition to Guice's injury, Thompson is recovering from injury, Perine (ankle) is out for at least one week, Marshall (ankle) is out for 2-4 weeks, Martez Carter (injured) was waived from the roster, leaving only Kelley and Bibbs as fully functional.
Big name or not, look for the team to make some sort of move in the next few days.
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