Adrian Peterson is in position to make a comeback

The last two seasons haven’t been ideal for Adrian Peterson, but he can turn that around with his new team in 2018.

Adrian Peterson is a future Hall of Fame running back who has had a remarkable career in the NFL since being drafted seventh overall by the Minnesota Vikings in the 2007 NFL Draft. However, his last two seasons in the league haven’t exactly resembled that.

During his 10-year stretch with the Vikings from 2007 to 2016, Peterson was the best running back in the game. He was a seven-time Pro Bowler, a three-time rushing yards leader, a two-time rushing touchdowns leader, and a league MVP in 2012. But as he started to get up there in the age department, injuries began to hold him back. That’s why he only played three games in 2016 – his last season in Minnesota – and then spent the 2017 season splitting time in both New Orleans and Arizona.

As Peterson enters his age 33 season, he now has a new home with the Washington Redskins and a chance to bounce back from his previous injury-riddled seasons. When Washington’s rookie running back Derrius Guice went down with a torn ACL during a preseason game against the New England Patriots, a door opened for the Redskins to sign the free agent Peterson to a one-year deal.

Now, Peterson will be able to contribute to an offense that could desperately use his help. He got off to a good start in Friday’s game against the Denver Broncos, in which Peterson rushed for 56 yards on 11 carries. It wasn’t a huge sample size, but nonetheless, but it was a good sign of what he can bring to the Redskins this season. Hopefully, he will take a lot of pressure off quarterback Alex Smith who, without the help of Peterson, would be forced to more or less carry this offense.

It will all just depend on whether or not Peterson can stay healthy this season, but he says things are going pretty good for the time being.

“My body feels good right now,” Peterson said after the game, according to Pro Football Talk. “I will see how it feels in the morning. But I feel like it responded well. It felt good, didn’t get tired, so cardio is where it needs to be and right now I’m looking at it as knocking a little rust off.”

Competing in what should be a competitive NFC East division in 2018, the loss of Guice looked like it might be a fatal blow for the Redskins. But Peterson could be the answer Washington needed, and he could revive his own career in the process.