ASHBURN — Alfred Morris is the only one of the Washington Redskins’ four running backs not listed on the injury report heading into the regular-season finale against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
Deciding which of the other three are healthy enough to play will take some time.
The status of Matt Jones, Chris Thompson and Pierre Thomas remained uncertain on Thursday, with Jones sitting out the entirety of the team’s afternoon practice after aggravating a bruised hip the day before. Thompson is battling a torn labrum in his left shoulder, while Thomas sprained a knee during practice on Wednesday.
Needs on offense and special teams typically dictate that only three running backs, plus fullback Darrel Young, will dress for the game. Injuries will give the Redskins a pass on Sunday, but if all four players are healthy enough for the first round of the playoffs the following weekend, coach Jay Gruden will have a decision to make.
It would seem logical that Thomas, the Redskins’ latest addition, would be the one to sit out, but he had four carries for 22 yards and caught seven passes for 67 yards in the 38-24 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday. Jones sat out that game with the hip injury, which he sustained in the 35-25 victory over the Buffalo Bills on Dec. 20, while Morris had 17 carries for 49 yards against the Eagles and Thompson caught one pass for 12 yards and a touchdown.
“We just added another back to our rotation, which kind of muddies it up a little bit, but you know, having too many good backs is a good thing,” Gruden said. “We’ll have to deal with that come next week.”
Thompson is under the assumption that it will be either he or Thomas out of uniform on Sunday, and if it’s him, he said he trusts that the decision will help the Redskins win.
“It’s a real good problem to have, you know?” Thompson said. “We don’t have any selfish guys in our backfield, so it’s just one of those things that whoever’s in the game, we’re cheering him on and we’re hoping for the best.”
Gruden has been vague about playing time for his starters on Sunday with the game having no bearing on the Redskins’ playoff status. He said that quarterback Kirk Cousins “is getting ready to start the football game,” but didn’t commit to Cousins’ playing time or that of any other players.
“They’re getting ready to play the game and then how I substitute throughout the course of the game will be dependent on how we’re doing health-wise and the situation of the game,” Gruden said.
• Zac Boyer can be reached at zboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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