Washington Redskins news: Chris Thompson struggling in pass protection
By Jack Crosby
During his second year in the NFL this season, there are a lot of expectations for running back Chris Thompson. Despite plenty of injuries during his time at Florida State, the team still took a chance on him.
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This season, he’s expected to have a larger role in the offense, and QB Robert Griffin III recently came out and spoke very highly of Thompson, even going so far as to say that he can be like Darren Sproles for this team.
Well he seems to be having an issue with one part of his game during training camp so far, and that’s pass protection. According to a report from the Washington Post, he hasn’t been having the easiest time with that aspect.
"Chris Thompson struggled in his first, second and third cracks at the drill. Because he’s a smaller guy (generously listed at 5 feet 8 and 193 pounds), it’s not easy to hold off a pass rusher, even if it’s a younger Will Compton (6-1, 245), much less a starting-caliber linebacker like Perry Riley Jr. After getting beat by Rob Jackson, Compton and Jeremy Kimbrough, Thompson did show a little improvement in the fourth attempt. He widened his feet a little just before contact, got better leverage, and did stand Kimbrough up, briefly. Kimbrough did manage to shove Thompson backward with his second effort."
As pointed out, his size will undoubtedly be a setback as far as pass blocking is concerned, so the team will more than likely not have him on the field when that is the primary job of the back in place.