NFL: Preseason-Washington Redskins at Atlanta Falcons
Dale Zanine / USA TODAY Sports

Derrius Guice, after two injury-marred seasons, said Monday via Twitter that he has been cleared to play football for the 2020 season. The 23-year-old running back missed his entire rookie season after suffering a torn MCL during Washington's 2018 preseason. Last season, he suffered two significant knee injuries that included a torn meniscus (during Washington's season-opener) as well as an MCL sprain that ended his season prematurely. In five games, Guice rushed for 245 yards and two touchdowns while averaging 5.83 yards per carry. His best game took place against the Panthers in Week 13, as his 129-yard, two-touchdown performance helped Washington defeat Carolina, 29-21. 

With Guice out, Washington's running game has been powered by future Hall of Fame running back Adrian Peterson. Peterson, who joined the team in 2018, has rushed for 1,940 yards and 12 touchdowns while averaging 4.2 yards per carry in two seasons. During the 2020 draft, Washington spent a second-round pick on former Memphis running back Antonio Gibson, a versatile player who tallied 1,104 all-purpose yards and 12 touchdowns during his final season with the Tigers and could be utilized as a receiver.

Guice, who rushed for nearly 3,100 yards and 29 touchdowns in three seasons at LSU, said earlier this offseason that remaining healthy is his primary goal heading into his third season in Washington. 

"When it comes to constantly being injured -- knowing how tough you are, but everybody else is looking at you as just soft who can't stay on the field, it's gonna frustrate you," Guice said, via The Washington Times. "You just have to realize where you are and realize where they are in a sense," he said. "It's always the people behind you talking the loudest. ...I just gotta keep elevating and moving forward."

If Guice is able to stay healthy, Washington VP of player personnel Kyle Smith believes that he can mimic some of the things that Panthers All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey has been able to put together in Carolina. McCaffrey's former coach, Ron Rivera, will now be tasked to get the most out of Guice in Washington. 

"I do believe Derrius Guice has an opportunity," Smith said during the NFL combine. "He can do all of those things."