Washington’s running back Bryce Love will have to wait one more year to make his NFL debut. According to ESPN’s John Keim, Washington will keep Love on the injured reserve, and the 23-year-old won’t suit up in 2020.
Love, who missed his rookie season in 2019 due to the ACL injury he suffered at the college level, was placed on the IR in October due to knee swelling. After returning to practice in November, he continued to struggle, which prompted Washington to take the cautious approach.
Washington can afford to keep Love out right now, considering the production they are getting from backfield duo Antonio Gibson and J.D. McKissic. Gibson has 645 running yards and 11 touchdowns this season, while McKissic rushed for 223 yards and caught 46 passes for 338 receiving yards.
Bryce Love played four seasons of college football at Stanford, where he broke multiple rushing records, including rushing yards in a season (2,118 yards) and rushing yards per attempt (7.8 yards). He received the esteemed Lombardi Award and was named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year in 2017.
Love was initially projected as a first or second-round pick in 2019, but the ACL injury caused his draft stocks to plummet. Washington eventually decided to take a chance and drafted him in the fourth round with the No.112 pick. With Love coming back soon, he hopes to prove his worth on the NFL level once and for all.
