Washington Football has three running backs who each have over ten carries through two games, but nobody is confusing that group with a three-headed monster.
And with quarterback Dwayne Haskins still not pulling up trees in the passing game, Washington’s offense needs more in the running game to be even somewhat competitive in a weak NFC East.
A season ago, Washington backs rushed for 1371 yards on 315 carries for an average of 4.35 per attempt. Of course, every running back from that unit is no longer on the roster after Adrian Peterson and Derrius Guice were released during training camp this season.
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Offensive coordinator Scott Turner needs to get some consistent production out of the trio of Antonio Gibson, J.D. McKissic, and Peyton Barber. However, that group is averaging a lackluster 3.37 yards per attempt on their first 51 carries of the 2020 NFL season.
Through three games the numbers for the three backs are pedestrian at best: Gibson has 91 yards on 22 carries with a touchdown, Barber 30 yards on 18 carries with two touchdowns, and McKissic 51 yards on 11 carries.
If the Week 2 loss is any indication, Gibson, the rookie out of Memphis, is going to be the main threat showing some of the talents that got him drafted in the third round
After playing the least amount of snaps among the RBs in Week 1 (26 percent), Gibson played the most against Arizona (65 percent) and the rookie rewarded the team’s patience in him with an average of 6.6 yards per attempt and a touchdown.
McKissic, who had the least carries in Week 1, had the most in Week 2 and showed flashes as well. Against Arizona, those two backs each had five carries go for more than 5 yards, accounting for 10 of their 21 combined carries.
But some of the advanced metrics reveal worrying signs for Washington going forward. Per NFL Next Gen Stats, all three running backs are outside the top 20 when it comes to running efficiency, a stat measuring north-south running.
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And while Barber’s time in the backfield fell off a cliff Sunday (he played just one offensive snap), his poor numbers are indicative of another worrying aspect: He’s faced eight or more defenders in the box on 44.4 percent of his carries, second highest in the NFL.
Compare that with Gibson who has seen a crowded box on only 13.64 percent of his carries.
If that number goes up as teams load up to stop the run, Washington’s already meager output on the ground could plunge even further.
Turner has an advantage: spread the field. And Washington had three WRs play more than 68 percent of the snaps Sunday. But getting teams out of playing the run, even when facing a three-receiver set will rely on Haskins making more plays.
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