Dwayne Washington Proving To Be An NFL-Level Running Back
By: Will Burchfield
@burchie_kid
Rookie Dwayne Washington hesitated. He wavered for a moment.
He had been asked if he feels more confident in making the Lions' final roster in the wake of Stevan Ridley's release.
Perhaps he didn't want to disrespect the veteran. Maybe he was wary of getting ahead of himself. But the answer was written on the wall.
"Well, yea, I guess you could say that," Washington replied.
You most certainly could.
With Ridley out of the picture, things are looking decidedly brighter for Washington, the 2016 seventh-round pick. The Lions are likely to keep two running backs after Ameer Abdullah and Theo Riddick, leaving Washington to duke it out with Zach Zenner and longshot George Winn for a spot on the 53-man roster. And out of those three, it is the rookie who has stood out the most.
Though he was a late arrival to OTAs after finishing out his college degree, Washington has quickly made up the ground in the preseason. His unique combination of speed and size has seen him excel as both a running back and a kick returner. In the Lions' preseason opener against the Steelers, Washington took a kick-off 97 yards to the house. He followed that up with a rushing touchdown and a two-point conversion in Week 2 against the Bengals.
"I think he does have talent, which you can see," Jim Caldwell said. "Certainly the kickoff return kind of gave you a really good idea of what he could do. But then even some of the runs that he's had in games in spurts and also in practice. He's strong, he's powerful, he gets his shoulders square, he can make you miss.
"I think you'll just continue to see him get better and better as he understands what to do on every single play in great detail."
Washington, a soft-spoken 22-year-old, would agree.
"There's still little small details that I can work out, but all around I feel like I'm doing pretty good," he said. "I feel like I fit into the system very well."
More than anything else, that speaks to Washington's flexibility. He is a Swiss-Army knife of a football player, capable of contributing in just about any phase of the game. Linebacker Tahir Whitehead, who competes against Washington every day in practice, has already gained an appreciation for the breadth of the rookie's skill set.
"He's a big guy, he's explosive, he's everything that you're looking for in an NFL running back," Whitehead said. "You watch the way he runs his routes, the way he explodes through the hole, whether it's him running the ball on offense or returning kicks, he's extremely exciting to watch."
Detractors might say Washington has succeeded against lesser competition. While it's true that he's faced mostly second- and third-string players in the Lions' two preseason games, he can't be knocked for making the most of an opportunity. Furthermore, Caldwell would say, success in the NFL is meaningful no matter the circumstances.
"You just don't understand, still those guys that are playing second, third team in this league are so much better than the norm. So when a guy does have things he does well out there on the field, regardless of who's lined up, there's some good players lined up on the other side. I think it gives you an indication that he does have some ability," the coach explained.
Washington will likely get a chance to prove himself against some stiffer competition this weekend. He expects to hear his name called quite often during Saturday's tilt versus the Ravens.
"Just my personal opinion, I feel like I'm gonna be getting a lot of reps this game. I hope that everything goes smoothly and I'm ready for the opportunity," Washington said.
If he contributes more of the same, he will further bolster his chances of making the final roster.
"I've been impressed with some of the things he's done," said offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter. "You know, when the guy gets the ball he does impressive things. That's a good trait to have.
"We're going to hand him the ball some more and see what he does."
No matter how his opportunities come, Washington will be up for the challenge.
"Whatever they want me at, I'm comfortable with," he said.
The intrigue around Washington is steadily growing. His fate is still to be determined, but Whitehead, for one, think it's pretty clear Washington is an NFL-level running back.
"He's here, aint he?"
