After Derrius Guice was released, the Washington running back room feels really wide open. I guess I should have felt that way even when Guice was on the roster but the former LSU product was by far the most talented option. In reality, Guice’s release probably saved one player on this roster from getting cut. The door is open for Bryce Love to dominate in Washington.
I think we forget how good Bryce Love was in college. Love was the heir apparent to Christian McCaffrey at Standford. Some even suggested Love was the better player. When McCaffrey left school, Stanford’s rushing attack never missed a beat. Love was a projected first round pick and offered elite speed for the position. Then the injury happened.
Love decided to stay for his Senior year. A decision that cost him millions. Hard to blame him though given the education at Stanford he was getting. Love tore his ACL in January of 2019 and missed his entire rookie season after getting picked in the 4th round.
Redshirting Love was a smart call. Heading into year two, I wasn’t sure Love’s spot on the roster was safe. We’re talking a backfield that included Adrian Peterson, Antonio Gibson, JD McKissic, and Peyton Barber. There’s a lot of names on that list. If Washington believed in Love, would they really have picked Gibson in the third round and paid Barber in the offseason?
With Guice gone, the formula changes. Peterson is old, Barber had a paltry 3.1 yards per carry in 2019, and Gibson is nothing more than another Tony Pollard. If Love is healthy, there’s no reason why he isn’t the most talented back on the roster. The same guy who rushed for 2,118 yards averaging 8.1 YPC as a Junior at Stanford.
Why can’t Bryce Love be the lead back in Washington? Health is the biggest question, not talent. Does anybody have a clue who leads this team in rushing? All I know is Love by far has the highest ceiling of the bunch.
