Adrian Peterson likely to split carries in Washington next season

The former Minnesota Vikings running back is expected to split carries in the backfield with Derrius Guice for the Washington Redskins in 2019.

Since he was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in 2007, Adrian Peterson has been the top running back on pretty much every offense he’s played in.

The one time this wasn’t the case was in 2017 when he was with the New Orleans Saints. Peterson sharing the snaps in the backfield with the Saints ended up turning out horribly and he was traded to the Arizona Cardinals after just four games.

Now with the Washington Redskins, the former Vikings running back may be heading into another situation where he’s forced to share a good amount of snaps in the backfield with another player.

Derrius Guice was scheduled to be the Redskins’ top running back last season. But Guice was never able to get that opportunity after he tore his ACL during the preseason.

The young Washington running back is expected to be healthy enough by the start of the 2019 season and the team’s plan is to have him and Peterson split time in their backfield. The former Minnesota draft pick seems to have mixed feelings about not being the top guy on the Redskins’ depth chart.

"“Of course that is my mentality to be that guy, that is what has kept me around for 13 years now, but at the end of the day, the coaches are the ones that make that decision.”"

Peterson seems to be pretty civil at this point. But once the season kicks off and he’s standing on the sidelines while someone else is carrying the football, he may not be so content.

Will we see a different, more mature Peterson in 2019? Or will his upcoming season resemble something similar to his tenure with the Saints?

If Peterson ends up not being happy with his role in Washington, they may just decide to do what New Orleans did in 2017 and send him packing elsewhere.