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Then there’s Barber, who is coming off a season in which he had just 2.7 rushing yards per attempt, the fewest of his career. Primarily Washington’s goal-line back last season, he also had the second-fewest rushes (94), rushing yards (258) and rushing yards per game (16.1) of his five seasons.
Instead of conceding, Barber has done what he does best: He dug in his heels, continued to churn his legs and adapted when presented with a roadblock.
Tim Hightower, Washington’s director of alumni relations, more than understands his predicament. Even though Barber had the fewest carries of his career since his rookie season, when he had 55, he had the second-most first downs (26), third-most scores (four), as well as playing all 16 games for a fourth consecutive season.
The former Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back did the job he was brought in to do — getting tough yards — but now must fight for a roster spot.
“I know what that feels like to walk out … not knowing what the future looked like,” Hightower said. “You want guys who they’re ready for that, they’re waiting for that. You don’t want guys who are afraid. … It’s not necessarily about who’s there. … You have some adversity, you’ve proven yourself, you build on that confidence.”
During minicamp, Barber could have almost been confused for McKissic. He has slimmed down, and his cuts were made with the same smoothness as McKissic when he was making his way upfield.
Barber’s backfield mate would actually be a good person to speak to as it relates to taking care of and adapting one’s body for more roles. In McKissic’s case, it was bulking up because he didn’t want to be thought of as only a pass-catching back.
The knock against him had always been whether he could handle the ruggedness in between the tackles. McKissic finished the best season of his career rushing inside the tackles 62 percent of the time, per Rotowire, and overall had 365 yards, 25 first downs and a score on 85 carries. His 22.8 yards a game was just under double his next-best average.
When he was in Seattle, former safety Earl Thomas pulled him aside and shared the secrets of how to not only maintain in the league but excel if he learned how to properly take care of his body. That meant hydrating throughout the day, foam rolling consistently, eating properly and getting massages once, if not twice, a week — and always after games.
So while they’ve trained their bodies to do opposite things, McKissic fundamentally understands what his teammate is going through.
“All training camp, I just wanted to show them that I’ll do all of that,” McKissic said. “Not to limit myself to just be a one-run type back. That means a lot to me to be able to get those type of runs in games to be a guy that’s 198 pounds.
“We’ve got some real dogs in that room, man, it’s competitive. Antonio and Peyton Barber … can do it as well.”
On the second day of minicamp, Barber showed exceptional concentration and caught a somewhat difficult pass in the end zone from quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. He was able to elude defenders, and don’t confuse some of the lost weight for an inability to put his head down and move defenders.
If the message has been that the No. 3 spot is up for grabs and the coaches would like to see someone earn it, Barber responded in kind. He intends to make it a competition over the next two months.
Among other candidates, Barber will vie with Lamar Miller, who was signed toward the end of last season; Jaret Patterson, who is entering the league with a lot to prove after not hearing his name called during the NFL Draft; and Jonathan Williams, a practice squad player last season.
The coaches have made it clear they will make way for younger players. They have already parted with Ryan Kerrigan, the franchise’s all-time sack leader, and Morgan Moses, who anchored every game at right tackle since 2015.
“I think that (weight loss) was done consciously by him, and it’s one of those things that when you do talk to guys that are becoming veteran guys, in terms of a little older, a little longer in the tooth, one of the things that helps them as far as their career is concerned is to maintain their weight, to keep it down,” Rivera said. “It helps quicken them. It takes a little bit of stress off their knees, their ankles and hips and their lower back. They feel better, they feel faster, and you can see it. He’s playing fast and he’s doing a heck of a job for us.
“He’s stronger. He’s worked at it, too. The tradeoff is he’s probably lost a little bit of the baby fat and has gotten a little bit leaner. Believe me, I’m not concerned about his short-yardage running, because one thing he does is run with leverage. He runs with good body lean and I don’t think it’s going to impact his ability to run inside that much.”
Running backs coach Randy Jordan said three players at the position will make the team, and the third will need to show he can be productive, protect the quarterback, not commit turnovers and play a role on special teams.
Barber was productive last season, scoring all four of his touchdowns in short-yardage and goal-line situations. But so was Patterson, whom Rivera compared to Darren Sproles during rookie minicamp in May. He’s coming off a final season at Buffalo in which he rushed for 1,072 yards and 19 touchdowns in only six games — including 409 yards and eight touchdowns against Kent State.
“I think the biggest thing is, when you watch him on tape … he’s got really, really good vision,” Jordan said. “His contact balance is good, and the thing that a lot of people don’t understand is when you watch players on tape, you look at those intangibles. Can he score touchdowns? Can he rush the football, meaning can he make yards on his own? And from what I’m seeing so far, those are the same things we’re seeing on tape. … So, we’re excited about him as a player, and I think that he’s going to do a really good job for us.”
Miller was a formidable running back for the Dolphins and Texans and made the Pro Bowl in 2018, but he tore an ACL in a preseason game in 2019 and didn’t appear in a game after joining Washington last season. As Jordan said consistently about former Washington running back Derrius Guice, “your greatest ability is your availability.” Meanwhile, Williams is on his sixth team in five years and has appeared in 28 games, including five last season for the Lions.
Of course, the third running back is also going to have to show up on special teams. Barber played 130 snaps on special teams last season. Miller hasn’t taken a special-teams snap since 2014. Patterson has already said he’ll play wherever the coaches need him, and Williams has played 36 percent of his career snaps on special teams.
Gibson may have the featured role, but Barber knows there’s still an opening for him — and he’s out to prove he can seize it.
“Since I’ve been here, this is a group that has been competitive and they’re doing a great job,” Jordan said. “I think the biggest thing is just finding the right guys throughout the season who will be able to compete and give us an opportunity to be productive at the position.
Instead of conceding, Barber has done what he does best: He dug in his heels, continued to churn his legs and adapted when presented with a roadblock.
Tim Hightower, Washington’s director of alumni relations, more than understands his predicament. Even though Barber had the fewest carries of his career since his rookie season, when he had 55, he had the second-most first downs (26), third-most scores (four), as well as playing all 16 games for a fourth consecutive season.
The former Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back did the job he was brought in to do — getting tough yards — but now must fight for a roster spot.
“I know what that feels like to walk out … not knowing what the future looked like,” Hightower said. “You want guys who they’re ready for that, they’re waiting for that. You don’t want guys who are afraid. … It’s not necessarily about who’s there. … You have some adversity, you’ve proven yourself, you build on that confidence.”
During minicamp, Barber could have almost been confused for McKissic. He has slimmed down, and his cuts were made with the same smoothness as McKissic when he was making his way upfield.
Barber’s backfield mate would actually be a good person to speak to as it relates to taking care of and adapting one’s body for more roles. In McKissic’s case, it was bulking up because he didn’t want to be thought of as only a pass-catching back.
The knock against him had always been whether he could handle the ruggedness in between the tackles. McKissic finished the best season of his career rushing inside the tackles 62 percent of the time, per Rotowire, and overall had 365 yards, 25 first downs and a score on 85 carries. His 22.8 yards a game was just under double his next-best average.
When he was in Seattle, former safety Earl Thomas pulled him aside and shared the secrets of how to not only maintain in the league but excel if he learned how to properly take care of his body. That meant hydrating throughout the day, foam rolling consistently, eating properly and getting massages once, if not twice, a week — and always after games.
So while they’ve trained their bodies to do opposite things, McKissic fundamentally understands what his teammate is going through.
“All training camp, I just wanted to show them that I’ll do all of that,” McKissic said. “Not to limit myself to just be a one-run type back. That means a lot to me to be able to get those type of runs in games to be a guy that’s 198 pounds.
“We’ve got some real dogs in that room, man, it’s competitive. Antonio and Peyton Barber … can do it as well.”
On the second day of minicamp, Barber showed exceptional concentration and caught a somewhat difficult pass in the end zone from quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. He was able to elude defenders, and don’t confuse some of the lost weight for an inability to put his head down and move defenders.
If the message has been that the No. 3 spot is up for grabs and the coaches would like to see someone earn it, Barber responded in kind. He intends to make it a competition over the next two months.
Among other candidates, Barber will vie with Lamar Miller, who was signed toward the end of last season; Jaret Patterson, who is entering the league with a lot to prove after not hearing his name called during the NFL Draft; and Jonathan Williams, a practice squad player last season.
The coaches have made it clear they will make way for younger players. They have already parted with Ryan Kerrigan, the franchise’s all-time sack leader, and Morgan Moses, who anchored every game at right tackle since 2015.
“I think that (weight loss) was done consciously by him, and it’s one of those things that when you do talk to guys that are becoming veteran guys, in terms of a little older, a little longer in the tooth, one of the things that helps them as far as their career is concerned is to maintain their weight, to keep it down,” Rivera said. “It helps quicken them. It takes a little bit of stress off their knees, their ankles and hips and their lower back. They feel better, they feel faster, and you can see it. He’s playing fast and he’s doing a heck of a job for us.
“He’s stronger. He’s worked at it, too. The tradeoff is he’s probably lost a little bit of the baby fat and has gotten a little bit leaner. Believe me, I’m not concerned about his short-yardage running, because one thing he does is run with leverage. He runs with good body lean and I don’t think it’s going to impact his ability to run inside that much.”
Running backs coach Randy Jordan said three players at the position will make the team, and the third will need to show he can be productive, protect the quarterback, not commit turnovers and play a role on special teams.
Barber was productive last season, scoring all four of his touchdowns in short-yardage and goal-line situations. But so was Patterson, whom Rivera compared to Darren Sproles during rookie minicamp in May. He’s coming off a final season at Buffalo in which he rushed for 1,072 yards and 19 touchdowns in only six games — including 409 yards and eight touchdowns against Kent State.
“I think the biggest thing is, when you watch him on tape … he’s got really, really good vision,” Jordan said. “His contact balance is good, and the thing that a lot of people don’t understand is when you watch players on tape, you look at those intangibles. Can he score touchdowns? Can he rush the football, meaning can he make yards on his own? And from what I’m seeing so far, those are the same things we’re seeing on tape. … So, we’re excited about him as a player, and I think that he’s going to do a really good job for us.”
Miller was a formidable running back for the Dolphins and Texans and made the Pro Bowl in 2018, but he tore an ACL in a preseason game in 2019 and didn’t appear in a game after joining Washington last season. As Jordan said consistently about former Washington running back Derrius Guice, “your greatest ability is your availability.” Meanwhile, Williams is on his sixth team in five years and has appeared in 28 games, including five last season for the Lions.
Of course, the third running back is also going to have to show up on special teams. Barber played 130 snaps on special teams last season. Miller hasn’t taken a special-teams snap since 2014. Patterson has already said he’ll play wherever the coaches need him, and Williams has played 36 percent of his career snaps on special teams.
Gibson may have the featured role, but Barber knows there’s still an opening for him — and he’s out to prove he can seize it.
“Since I’ve been here, this is a group that has been competitive and they’re doing a great job,” Jordan said. “I think the biggest thing is just finding the right guys throughout the season who will be able to compete and give us an opportunity to be productive at the position.
