Dallas Cowboys: Can they outrun the rest of the NFC East?

#3 — The Washington Redskins

The Washington Redskins enter 2017 with questions in their backfield. After Matt Jones went down with a mid-season knee injury, rookie Robert Kelley took over the starting gig.

Both backs enter 2017 vying for that number one spot with veteran Chris Thompson trying to get in on the action. Add in Samaje Perine, their fourth round selection from April’s draft, and question marks abound as to who will carry the load.

To get a true view of the backfield picture for the Redskins, it helps to look at what happened this summer. In their first three exhibition games, Kelley carried the ball 22 times, compared to 19 for Perine and seven for Jones.

A quick glance through some of the Washington fan sites will show you that there’s a definite controversy brewing. One writer even believes that Thompson should get the starting job over both Kelley and Jones. Meanwhile, others state that Perine should start.

All this to say, there is still a lot left to be determined about the Redskins backfield. They have some great ground game talent in Kelley and Perine while Thompson offers excellent dual-threat options for the offense. Prior to his injury, Jones did as well. But the jury is out on how he will look this season. His seven preseason carries have told us nothing at all.

In short, Washington’s backs are good and they show a lot of promise, but they have a lot to work out. Consistency will be the key for them, and they may not get to showcase it too much with a guy like Kirk Cousins passing for them.