ASHBURN, Virginia -- The Washington Redskins run game should have been better. Rob Kelley was a year older/wiser and they drafted a running back in the fourth round. But, aside from Chris Thompson, the position has not been what the Redskins needed. There's time for Samaje Perine to prove he's the guy. If not? Then there are decisions to make. That leads us to the mailbag.
In a realistic sense... Do you feel the Redskins should move on past Rob Kelly? This is a business first league, and we had no problem cutting ties with Morris. Isn't Robb done... #jkmailbag
— Wolf Hunter (@AgustusMcCrae44) November 17, 2017
John Keim: I don't think there's any reason to get rid of Kelley. But I do believe the Redskins need to upgrade running back -- just as I felt they needed to after last season. Kelley is a tough, hard-nosed runner who would be a solid backup for them. He's done an excellent job avoiding negative carries because of his ability. Kelley improved catching the ball and in pass protection. He can help some on special teams. And he's as much a team guy as anyone I've been around; he genuinely seems happy when other running backs do something, even if it comes as his replacement. If Kelley is your third or fourth back? OK. As long as the primary one is good, of course. If they add another back and Kelley is pushed out? The locker room would lose a good guy, but that's what happens in the NFL.
Kelley is 34th in yards per carry after first contact. However, he ranked 45th among running backs in terms of yards per carry before contact at 1.45. The league average is 2.21. So the point is: He doesn't always get a lot of room, nor does he create a lot on his own.
The Redskins did consider backs in the draft, but Jonathan Allen fell to them at 17 (and Christian McCaffrey was gone) and then in the second round Dalvin Cook was gone before they picked. They selected Perine in the fourth round. After he was picked, one player texted me and predicted he'd be an opening-day starter.
I'm a believer in giving guys time to develop -- look at the perception of Matt Ioannidis last year compared to this year. I don't know that Perine will be the sort of guy they ultimately need, but the next seven weeks will tell us a lot more. I like that he's starting to run with more patience. Let's see how he produces (and if he runs with more power).
For the Redskins, it also didn't help that Keith Marshall also was hurt; he's a guy coaches were excited about until his torn ACL in camp.
But the teams I look at the past two years in particular are Atlanta and New Orleans. Both offenses took off because each team had two good running backs. They already had other pieces, but those backs added a dimension that allowed others to soar. It's easy to say that's what the Redskins need because the trickier part is finding it; but that must be the quest this offseason. They need someone who forces eight men into the box, creating more situations down the field for the receivers.
You don't need to worry about Thompson, but if they could add another guy capable of being a dynamic player? The offense would take off.
