Two days ago, the Redskins had a plethora of running backs. That included a seemingly-resurgent Tim Hightower who was last year’s starter before a season-ending torn ACL and a 2012 sixth-round pick you probably hadn’t heard of named Alfred Morris to go with Roy Helu Jr. and Evan Royster.
But as we pointed out in our cutting-to-53 post from Friday, the Redskins released Hightower, a somewhat surprising move.
But good news for Washington fans. Coach Mike Shanahan knows who his starter is. But who is it, you ask? Good question. You’ll have to wait for the answer.
M.Shanahan asked if he knewstarter at RB? "Uh-huh. Yeah." Can u share? "No, no, no." A surprise? "All depends on who u think starter is."
— Chris Russell (@Russellmania980) September 1, 2012
So, that’s not helpful at all, is it?
Well, let’s look at what each player has accomplished in the preseason.
Morris: In the third preseason game of the year, he exploded for 107 yards and a touchdown, and he looked like could be a quality starter. Plus, he sat out the fourth preseason game, which could give us a clue that Shanahan didn’t want to risk injuring him because he wants to start Morris in the regular season. But Hightower didn’t play in the fourth game either, and that didn’t work out so well for him.
Helu: He came off the bench in the fourth contest, and he put up Morris-like numbers, rushing for 90 yards and two scores on 15 carries to insert himself into the conversation. But this was also the first time he had seen game action since Week 1 of the preseason. He was also a little behind because of tendinitis issues in both Achilles tendons.
Royster: In that fourth game, Royster rushed for 44 yards on 10 carries and caught another two passes for 15 yards in limited action, but was overshadowed by Helu.
What happens next? Seemingly only the Redskins coaching staff knows.
“We have some solid backs on this team,” Royster said, via the Washington Post. “It’s definitely a good problem to have for a coach’s standpoint. But it’s tough on us. We just want to make this team as best we can.”
Of course, the CBSSports.com fantasy gurus have their own ideas. Click the video above to check out their takes.
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