Derrius Guice escapes with a sprained MCL

Derrius Guice gave the Redskins a bit of a scare Thursday night, but he seems to have avoided a serious injury.

By all accounts, the Washington Redskins got a steal when Derrius Guice fell to them with the 59th overall pick in April’s draft. Running back depth is not an issue, but the league’s 28th-ranked rushing attack last year (90.5 yards per game) that was tied for 30th in yards per carry (3.6) needed a spark and the opportunity to add Guice couldn’t be turned away from.

During Thursday night’s preseason opener against the New England Patriots, Guice finished with six carries for 19 yards. His best run of the night was called back by a penalty, but Guice was tackled awkwardly and left the game with a knee injury.

In the post game locker room Guice dismissed the severity of the injury, and an MRI still has to confirm it, but a big injury bullet has been dodged barring something unforeseen.

An MRI is coming on Friday, but Ian Rapoport of NFL Network has followed that initial report with a diagnosis for Guice’s knee injury.

Guice is expected to miss some time, and he may sit out the rest of the preseason as a precaution. But that may not be a bad thing for the Redskins, as they can showcase Samaje Perine for a potential trade even more than they might have anyway. Rob Kelley, Chris Thompson, Kapri Bibbs and Byron Marshall can also get them through until Week 1.

Before he suffered the injury Thursday night, on the heels of good preseason buzz, one website had given Guice the third-best odds to win Offensive Rookie of the Year (+800, a tie with Josh Rosen and behind only Saquon Barkley and Baker Mayfield). Those odds are sure to drop some now, but that betting optimism points to the opportunity Guice has in front of him.