Local running back fighting for roster spot Ashburn — It’s a bit like slipping back into the middle of a good dream after waking and realizing that the alarm won’t go off for another couple hours.
After being drafted in the sixth round by his hometown team, running back Evan Royster is soaking up every moment he’s a member of the Redskins. But with the end of training camp looming, a wake-up call is coming. The rookie running back could find himself relegated to the practice squad or cut altogether by the end of the week.
“It’s very cool because I live with one of my friends from high school,” Royster said. “It’s something that I’m thankful every day. I’ll never forget it.”
But the comfort that the 23-year-old Chantilly native enjoys, having those nearby pulling for him as much as the logo on his helmet, means nothing on the practice field in Ashburn.
Alexandria native Tim Hightower, 25, has been the Redskins’ starting running back. He returned to the area this season certain that he matured as an adult and a football player by starting his NFL career in Arizona.
“For me, I think it was good to be away at first and just kind of find myself and live that bachelor life by myself and come into my own,” Hightower said. “Stepping back in here in this environment, I’m a lot more capable of handling it and focusing.”
Royster got off to a good start in the preseason, running the ball 15 times for 66 yards in Washington’s opener against Pittsburgh. But he hasn’t played since as Hightower (25 carries, 170 yards) and fellow rookie Roy Helu (35 carries, 173 yards), picked two rounds before Royster, took nearly all the carries in the last two games. Ryan Torain (wrist) also returned to practice on Monday.
But Royster is convinced he’s doing just fine.
“I’m just along for the ride,” he said. “There’s not much you can do other than play to change other people’s opinion. It’s just about going out there and showing that you can play the game at this level.”
Royster said his pass protection skills have improved, and he still hangs his hat on his ability to run the ball.
“He’s improved at picking up the blitzes,” offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan said. “He’s a guy that’s willing and who’s definitely smart enough to know it, but the more looks those rookie backs can get, especially in blitz pickups and protections and how fast those stunts will come and how fast those backers will shoot those gaps, it’s something you really don’t know until you see it. He’s gotten a lot better at it.”
With cuts on the horizon, his ability to earn a roster spot rests almost entirely on providing the Redskins depth in the backfield. His only special teams experience came during his redshirt freshman year at Penn State.
Hightower, himself a fifth-round pick in 2008, is familiar with the haze of unknowns that his younger teammate faces.
“I’ve definitely seen him progress, but I’ve definitely seen that kind of rookie mental slump,” Hightower said. “It’s like when you do something good, you’re praised for it. When you’re not, [the coaches] may not talk to you for a little bit, and you really don’t know where you stand, and that affects you on the field. I’ve definitely seen both sides with him.”
