Redskins coach Mike Shanahan knows who his starting running back is going to be this season. But he isn’t telling.
Shanahan said at his press conference today that he has a first choice among the three running backs on his roster (2011 fourth-round pick Roy Helu, 2011 sixth-round pick Evan Royster and 2012 sixth-round pick Alfred Morris), but he considers the question of which one of them will be the primary ball carrier when the Redskins open the season against the Saints to be a secret.
Shanahan says the two sophomore RB's have made "tremendous progression" in pass protection. Starter for Week 1 is known, but a secret.
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) September 1, 2012
During his years with the Broncos, Shanahan had a great track record of selecting running backs in the later rounds of the draft and getting production out of them. In Washington he hasn’t been quite as successful on that front yet, but all three of the young running backs on the roster have shown promise. One of those three may just turn out to be one of the league’s leading rushers, as Shanahan had so often with the Broncos, but if Shanahan is expecting that from one of his running backs, he’s not saying which one.