Prior to the Week 14 matchup against the Chicago Bears, the Washington Redskins went out and signed running back Pierre Thomas.
The reason was because of an injury to Chris Thompson, the Redskins' receiving back that played a solid role in Washington's backfield. Thompson was ruled out of Week 14 with a torn labrum.
Thomas found a consistent role on the team for the first two weeks, filling in for the injured Thompson.
Thompson returned a bit earlier than expected in the Week 16 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. But Thomas remained on the team, because Matt Jones, the Redskins' change of pace back, was ruled out with a hip injury.
Jones would also miss the season finale against the Dallas Cowboys, and Thomas would again find a spot within the Redskins' roster.
But as the Redskins prepare for their NFC Wild Card playoff matchup against the Green Bay Packers, Thompson remains healthy, and Jones has begun to resume practice. That leads to a problem for head coach Jay Gruden and his Redskins: Who is going to be in the backfield against the Packers?
There are really only three spots in the backfield available for Washington, as Gruden will want to keep Darrel Young in as his full back. That means either Alfred Morris, Thomas, Jones or Thompson will be left off of the game day roster against the Packers.
It's not going to be Morris. Morris is the closest player on the roster to a feature back. He rushed for 100 yards in the final game against the Cowboys, and has averaged 15 carries a game over the last five games.
That leaves two spots for Jones, Thomas and Thompson. And the final decision may come down to Jones' overall health. According to Mike Jones of the Washington Post, while Jones did participate in practice on Wednesday, he was limited, and if his condition doesn't improve, he'll be the odd man out on the roster.
But what if Jones is able to go? It's unlikely that Gruden will leave him off of the roster. For the better part of the season, Morris has been the primary back, Jones has been the change of pace back and Thompson was the receiving back. Jones, who has rushed for 490 yards on 144 carries and caught 19 passes for 304 yards, is far too valuable to bench for Thompson or Thomas.
That means that if Jones is able to go, it is going to be between Thompson and Thomas.
Over the passed two games together, Thomas has been utilized out of the backfield more so than Thompson. Thomas has had 11 carries for 52 yards and eight receptions for 72 yards. Thompson has had seven carries for 19 yards and one reception for 12 yards and a touchdown over the last two weeks.
Thomas is far more experienced in the NFL, and he won a Super Bowl with the New Orlean Saints in 2009. But Thompson has been the go-to receiving running back for the better part of the entire Redskins' season.
It's also worth mentioning that Thompson is dealing with a toe injury. Gruden said that the backfield decision may completely depend on every one of his backs' health.
It'll be a tough call for Gruden to make if Jones is ready to go this Sunday. But one Redskins running back is going to be the odd man out
