The Redskins envision that second-year player Matt Jones will be their starting running back, as head coach Jay Gruden said in March. But that doesn’t mean the club won’t consider making an addition to their backfield, John Keim of ESPN.com details. Washington won’t be in the market for Arian Foster at this time, per Keim, but the team is still interested in fellow veteran Pierre Thomas, who played in four games for the Redskins in 2015.
As I noted when ranking Foster as the No. 3 available offensive free agent, the 29-year-old back is still capable of putting up results when he is on the field. He accumulated 6,472 rushing yards during his seven years as a Texan, and earned three consecutive Pro Bowl nods from 2010 to 2012, averaging about 1,900 all purpose yards and 16 touchdowns in those seasons. But Foster was limited to 25 regular-season games from 2013 to 2015, and injuries, his age, and his increasing cap number resulted in the Houston releasing him this spring.
Foster has garnered some interest since being cut by the Texans, as he met with the Dolphins in the early stages of free agency — Miami is reportedly still “monitoring” Foster, perhaps waiting for him to prove his health before issuing a contract offer. For what it’s worth, Foster recently said he could need until July or so to get back to his old form. The Patriots also have some modicum of “preliminary interest” in the free agent back.
Thomas, meanwhile, hasn’t been linked to any other clubs since the free agent period opened (aside from the Redskins, of course). After signing on with Washington in December, Thomas rushed for 4.7 yards per carry on 11 totes, adding nine receptions for another 84 yards. Those limited numbers obviously don’t speak to Thomas’ true ability, especially in the passing game — in eight years with the Saints, Thomas averaged 49 receptions per season. The 31-year-old, then, could make sense as a third-down option behind Jones.
As the more high-profile back, Foster is likely to cost more than Thomas, but doesn’t mean Thomas is going to settle for a minimum deal. According to Keim, Thomas waited to sign last offseason while waiting for a good fit, and clubs apparently deemed his asking price too high — Thomas might be willing to wait out the league again while searching for the right opportunity.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
I loved Pierre Thomas’s efficiency with us last season, but taking Foster, if he returns to form, could be a boon for a Skins run game that, let’s face it, struggled last season, this on the NFC East Champs, perhaps a run game puts is over the top, but what’s clear also and JayG is a pass game guru, he doesn’t emphasize the run game kind of coach, he wants balance, but it’s all just window dressing to his pass game schemes, but if Arian Foster becomes like before, it makes us Super Bowl caliber, hand down.
You wish
Man, I don’t like to put other people’s opinions down, but that’s a little bit of wishful thinking. Forget the division title. It was meaningless. They were a 9-7 team who played really well but were aided by a weak division. Keep some perspective: it’s year two of a rebuild. This defense is no where near ready to make a real push.
And don’t get me wrong, I’m very optimistic about this team’s future. They’re headed in the right direction. But I don’t think either line is there yet. I expect them to be competitive. But a super bowl contender because of Arian Foster? Come on.
And the harm it could cause in signing him is his injury risk. Say we sign him 1 year 4 mil and he plays two games, gets injured, and is out the rest of the season. Depending how the contract is structured, we will still have to pay him something. That’s money that we can’t use on another FA RB or money that doesn’t roll over to the cap next year. There’s a reason he’s still on the market. If he was the missing piece to win a Super Bowl he would be long gone.
Cousins only started to find his groove late in the season. Theses Redskins will be better than last year and the second half of last year they were good. Arian Foster has the potential to make this offense extremely dangerous.
On the other hand, the defensive line and MLB positions…….if Ionniddis(sp?) and the MLBs pan out we might have something. I do think we will win the Division again.
Nothing wrong with Pierre Thomas. Hes a do it all back. Veteran and can be a great addition to the Redskins at the right price.
Well gentleman… I gotta think that Foster is a great back on one hand and very injury proned on the other. But I put my faith in the Skins GM… Man knows talent and has a big time track record to prove it. So yes we are short in the RB slot, a blind man can see that. But I also know this GM knows what he is doing and has my vote…..here here!!
I dont understand why ppl think our defense is going to be questionable. There are some great additions through the draft and also by trimming the fat and allowing preston smith to move to the end position hes a beast with carrrigan opposit and our backfield has upgraded greatly with hall in his second year at safety and breeland and oh ya norman playing corner we are going to be close to super bowl caliber team if not already there.
Draft pick to watch.. For Skins 7th rounder Keith Marshal.. RB from Georgia, was graded higher then Gorley before his injury…