With The First Pick
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NFL Preseason Week 2 Storylines

By Jon Dove

Aug 13, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff (16) looks down the field against the Dallas Cowboys during the second quarter at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 13, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff (16) looks down the field against the Dallas Cowboys during the second quarter at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 20, 2015; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins running back Matt Jones (31) carries the ball against the Buffalo Bills during the second half at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 20, 2015; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins running back Matt Jones (31) carries the ball against the Buffalo Bills during the second half at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /

How will the Washington Redskins running back rotation shake out?

Jay Gruden and the Washington Redskins are going through a bit of an adjustment at the running back position. They decided to allow Alfred Morris to leave via free agency thus handing the No. 1 running back job to Matt Jones.

Jones is a highly talented running back who showed signs of his potential last year. However, he also dealt with a string of injuries that kept him out of the lineup. His durability is a concern because Washington doesn’t have great depth at the position.

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Behind Jones, the Redskins have Chris Thompson and Keith Marshall as the primary backups. Thompson is a good receiving back who works best in 3rd-down situations. However, he’s not the type of runner who should be a team’s No. 1 option.

Marshall is extremely talented, but also injury prone. His college career was derailed by knee injuries. He helped his draft stock by running an impressive 40 time. However, it’s hard to predict what type of production Marshall can provide in his rookie season.

The best case scenario for the Redskins is that Jones is able to stay healthy and carry the ball over 250 times. They can then sprinkle Thompson in on 3rd down to give Jones a breather.

Next: Melvin Gordon

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