Adrian Peterson will take on a bigger role with the Washington Redskins now that Derrius Guice has been placed on injured reserve, but head coach Jay Gruden may still be reluctant to feed the 34-year-old the ball.
Peterson drew the start for Washington against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, but FOX’s Pam Oliver shared some interesting information during a sideline report in the first half. She said Gruden does not think Peterson’s running style is a good fit for the team’s offense.
“Jay Gruden is still not in favor of Peterson’s strength, which is a North-South running style,” Oliver reported. “He feels like it limits the offense and gives the defense way too many opportunities.”
Peterson filled in admirably when Guice missed his entire rookie season with a torn ACL last year. The veteran rushed for 1,042 yards on 251 carries and scored seven touchdowns. That led to the Redskins signing him to a new two-year deal during the offseason, but a report at the start of the season said Gruden wanted to cut Peterson but was overruled. Gruden seemingly confirmed that when he said he does not envision much of a role for AP unless the Redskins went into a game planning to run the ball 50 times, though that was before Guice suffered a torn meniscus.
Peterson was heavily involved early against the Cowboys on Sunday. He carried the ball eight times for 23 yards and a touchdown and caught two passes for seven yards. Even if he’s not Gruden’s favorite player, we should see plenty of him as long as Guice is on the shelf.
