Report: RB Derrius Guice may be Close to Returning to Redskins

The 2018 second-round pick has been out of action since Week 1 of the season.

While Washington doesn't have much of a chance of competing in 2019, sitting with a record of 1-6 and at the bottom of the NFC, there's always a perpetual eye for the future. While interim head coach Bill Callahan has relied on veteran running back Adrian Peterson over the last two weeks, it's clear the future Hall of Famer isn't the future of the position for the Redskins.

That moniker belongs to 2018 draft pick Derrius Guice. That is, if his health will ever allow him to claim the throne. After missing all of his rookie year due to an ACL tear and subsequent surgery, Guice logged all of 23 snaps in the season opener against Philadelphia before being removed and subsequently placed on IR again, this time for the other knee.

Time flies in the NFL though, and it appears that Guice, who has to sit out eight weeks before being activated so he can be a participant in practice again, seems to be getting close. How close?

The Athletic's Rhiannon Walker is reporting Guice is back doing drills at the team's facility.

Walking to open locker room, @BenStandig and I saw Derrius Guice (meniscus) going through running drills. Ran the whole field, did some dynamic exercises. Last week, Bill Callahan said it was possible he might return to practice this week, though that wasn’t definitive.

— Rhiannon Walker (@InstantRHIplay) October 21, 2019

Washington has recommitted to the run in recent weeks. Their backs only carried the ball 13, 13, 19, 15 and 11 times during the first five weeks of the season, a total of 71 carries out of their backfield. In the past two weeks, that has increased to 27 and 25, respectively.

Furthermore, as the season continues to trend towards out of hand, the likelihood is that at some point in the very near future, the Redskins will begin playing first-round rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins. Being able to see their future tandem on the field together, combined with breakout star and third-round rookie Terry McLaurin, might inspire some of the fanbase to remain engaged as the season slogs forward.

The earliest Guice will be able to play will be the home game against the New York Jets on November 17. That will come after the bye week and theoretically give the LSU product two weeks of practice time before suiting up again.