Robert Kelley’s rise from undrafted free agent to starting running back for the Washington Redskins, on the surface, sounds like the premise for a Hollywood movie.
Then again, it’s not that uncommon of a tale in the NFL, especially at a position where depth chart changes occur often. The question is how Kelley’s story ends. Cliché or not, the happy Disney version would make audiences swoon. It’s also conceivable “Fat Rob” eventually turns into a pumpkin.
That’s partly due to the disposal nature of the NFL running back in the modern era. Some teams lean heavily on a true lead back like Dallas standout Ezekiel Elliott or feature a multi-dimensional threat like Pittsburgh’s Le’Veon Bell. Otherwise, the trend involves a committee approach where several players enter depending on down and distance or game situations.
The Redskins are something of a hybrid. Chris Thompson handles obvious passing-down situations, but rarely little more unless Washington is forced to the air. Since Kelley took over as the starter for Matt Jones midway through the 2016 season, he served as the early-down option despite lacking any overt physical traits coaches covet.
Kelley lacks breakaway speed. Though listed at 233 pounds, nobody confuses him with John Riggins’ diesel display when squaring off with defenders. When the Redskins selected power-packed runner Samaje Perine in the fourth round of the 2017 draft, many league observers immediately proclaimed the new guy Washington’s starter.
Esta historia es de la edición October 2017 de Redskins Warpath.
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Esta historia es de la edición October 2017 de Redskins Warpath.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
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TIGHT ENDS
TIGHT ENDS
WIDE RECEIVERS
WIDE RECEIVERS
RUNNING BACKS
RUNNING BACKS
QUARTERBACKS
QUARTERBACKS
GUARDS/CENTERS TOP AVAILABLE FREE AGENTS
GUARDS/CENTERS TOP AVAILABLE FREE AGENTS
Q&A with Ron Rivera, Martin Mayhew and Marty Hurney
Coach Ron Rivera, General Manager Martin Mayhew and Executive Vice President of Football/Player Personnel Marty Hurney met with the media via Zoom on Feb. 3 to discuss the direction of the new front office. The interview is edited for space.
OFFENSIVE TACKLES
OFFENSIVE TACKLES
Never a quiet time for WFT
The dust never settles around the Washington Football Team.
Bargains can be valuable additions
Raise your hand if you muttered derisively last offseason when the Washington Football Team signed free-agent tight end Logan Thomas away from the Detroit Lions.
3 big thoughts
3 big thoughts