The Redskins don’t want to chance letting another team pounce on their passing-down running back, placing a second-round RFA tender on Chris Thompson, John Keim of ESPN.com reports. Thompson will make $2.74MM as part of this transaction.
Thompson is a restricted free agent despite being drafted in 2013 because of service-time issues. His fifth year will become a contract year instead of the customary fourth season for most players selected in the second through seventh rounds of their respective drafts. Thompson teamed with Robert Kelley to form the Redskins’ backfield duo down the stretch.
A former Florida State ball-carrier, the 26-year-old Thompson established a new yards from scrimmage career high in 2016, gaining 705 yards. He scored five touchdowns — three on the ground, two receiving — and was a key performer on third downs. With Washington’s backfield corps still unsettled as far as the run-downs player, Thompson can be expected to reprise his role in 2017. The team extending this protective tender only reinforces his value to the team.