Four year NFL veteran RB, Deandre Washington, is the newest member of the Kansas City Chiefs. In college at Texas Tech, he was teammates with Patrick Mahomes and was the Big 12 rushing leader in 2015. Drafted in the 5th round of the 2016 draft, Washington has spent the last four seasons with division rival the Oakland Raiders in primarily a backup role. Last season in Oakland, he had 387 rushing yards on 108 carries with three touchdowns. He also had 36 receptions for 292 yards. While he only has one career receiving touchdown, he has 88 career receptions for 613 yards, averaging seven yards a catch. This number is interesting because it has led to some speculation that the Chiefs might be in business for a third-down back, while also elevating the level of completion at the position.
At 5ft8 and weighing 210 pounds, Washington has a very stout build and he uses it to his advantage.
He runs low to the ground and has good patience and vision. He is a natural in zone run schemes and utilizes his jump-cut very well in the backfield. His vision is above average and he has good patience in letting plays develop.
One thing that is impressive about Washington is his hands out of the backfield. Playing college football at an Air Raid school like Texas Tech more than likely helped him enhance his skills as a pass catcher. The Raiders were fond of running this angle route out of the backfield with him. He makes a sharp cut and catches with his hands and the ball out in front of him.
Washington isn’t particularly explosive and doesn’t have a ton of long runs but the run below displays what he does well. He can put his head down and grind out 4-6 hard yards. While his numbers are unimpressive, he has been steady when he had gotten the nod as the Raiders starting RB.
In his final game as a Raider, Washington rushed for 77 yards and also had 55 receiving yards against the Denver Broncos. The week before against the Los Angeles Chargers, he rushed for 85 yards and had 21 receiving. It’s a small sample size but it’s what he brings to the table.
His fit on the Chiefs will be interesting. The Chiefs are bringing back all four backs who played during the 2019 season. Damien Williams will likely be the front-runner for the starting RB spot but after that it gets cloudy. Darrell Williams has shown some flashes but injuries have plagued his time in KC. Darwin Thompson saw the field some late in the year and into the playoffs, but his playing time will be dictated by how much development he can make from his rookie year. It is not out of the question that Washington could sneak into the conversation. I do think, however, that for the second year in a row the Chiefs will trade a RB to end their training camp when they look to crack down on the now 55 man roster. Who that will be is also up in the air. Washington has promise and has some chemistry with Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes. It will be interesting to see if we can see it click on the field.
