Rookie running back Guice out for season with torn ACL
Washington Redskins rookie running back Derrius Guice is out for the season after tearing the ACL in his left knee, a significant blowto the ground game.
Guice was injured in Washington's preseason opener at New England on Thursday night and could be seen on the sideline with ice on his knee. The team announced the prognosis Friday following an MRI, saying Guice should make a full recovery and be ready to play in 2019.
Guice was expected to be the Redskins' starter after they selected him 59th overall in the draft. The LSU product was considered a Preseason JETS@ REDSKINS
TV: first-round prospect and fell amid reports of character concerns before being taken late in the second.
“Grabbing him in the second round was obviously a great treat for us, but character was never a concern,” coach Jay Gruden said recently, pointing to injuries and the quality of running backs as reasons for
Guice falling in the draft.
“He’s been great, never been late, attentive, great attitude, always happy, happy-go-lucky and fun to be around, quite frankly.”
Washington averaged 90.5 yards rushing last season, fifth-worst in the NFL. Injuries toWeek 1 starter Rob Kelley and prolific third-downback ChrisThompson contributed to that, and Guice was expected to be a major part of solving the problem.
“He was supposed to be a first-round pick,” Thompson said earlier in training camp. “He’s one of those guys we’re expecting a lot out of him. They’re not expecting him to come here and have a 500-yard season. For him, I want 1,000plus. Iwant that for him.”
In camp, Guice had been splitting first-team carries with Kelley and Samaje Perine. Gruden has said there’s competition for the No. 1 job along with Thompson, who’s coming back from a broken fibula.
“Had a tough time tryna hold back the tears this morning when I got the news,” Thompson tweeted after Guice’s injury was revealed. “We had something great going in our roombut you knowthe squad got you every step of theway bro. Heal up and get ready to take over the league next year.”
Thecompetition isnowwideopenafter Guice’s season-ending injury. Kelley, a 2016 undrafted free agent who began last season as the starter, has gone from “Fat Rob” to “Fit Rob” and should now be considered the front-runner.
“I just make sure I go out there and I make a few plays that the catch the coaches’ eyes and stuff like that and put myself in a great position,” Kelley said. “At the end of the day, I can’t pick who wins and lose the competition; it’s up to the coaches and stuff like that. So, control what you can control.”
Beyond Kelley, Thompson and Perine, the Redskins have Kapri Bibbs, Byron Marshall and undraftedMartez Carter as running backs in camp.
In addition to Guice, the team says tight endManasseh Garner, a long shot tomake the roster, is out for the season with an ACL injury.
The Ravens struggled with pass blocking more than any other phase in their preseason opener against the Chicago Bears, allowing eight sacks.
Brown’s play was a bright spot in that disappointing performance, and he started again against the Rams, joined by veterans James Hurst, Matt Skura, Alex Lewis and Ronnie Stanley.
Together, this unit, sans Yanda, played well in protecting Flacco and Jackson.
Brown turned in another iron-man effort, staying inthegamelong past the other starting linemen and generally holding his own.
If his progress continues throughout the preseason, hecouldwinthestartingjobatright tackle and provide a significant boost to the team’soffensivelinedepthbypushingHurstor
It felt sadly telling when Perriman, the 2015 first-round pick, remained on the sideline for the entire first half as the Ravens auditioned a parade of rookie receivers, fromJordan Lasley to Jaleel Scott to JanarionGrant.
None of them produced much, however, and once Perriman entered the game in the second half, he did.
His 32-yard touchdown catch against tight coverage in the fourth quarter put ahappy cap ona three-catch, 71-yardeffort.
Harbaugh called the throw and catch between Robert Griffin III and Perriman “as good as you’re ever going to see.”
After three increasingly disheartening seasons, Perriman faces an uphill climb to convince Ravens coaches he can excel in the NFL. We’ve allwatched him struggle to catch simple passes, separate from defenders or complete plays in traffic. Injuries have underminedhimaswell.
He’s never looked as comfortable on the field as his size and speed suggest he should. But he gaveHarbaugh reason to pay attention Thursday, and that’s at least a small step for a guywhobadlywants todowell.
“Of course I know that,” he said of the fact he’s fighting for a job. “I knowthat’s what it is, butatthesametime, Ijustworryaboutmeand myself. I control that, for the most part, and I know if I just focus on me and my game and play how I know [I can] with all of my God-given ability, I won’t have really any worries.”
Teammatesandcoacheshavealwaysrooted forPerriman.
“He’s taken a lot of heat,” Harbaugh said. “He’s a youngguy, andhe’s agoodperson— he works hard. He been under siege with it. He understands that more than anybody. But I thinkhedeservesalotofcreditforthewayhe’s handled it.”