Is Adrian Peterson back? It appears we'll find out soon.
The 2012 NFL MVP and seven-time Pro Bowler with the Vikings signed a one-year, veteran's minimum contract with Washington on Aug. 20. The deal included zero guarantees.
Peterson made the 53-man roster, and on Wednesday reports came out that Peterson will start Week 1 against the Cardinals.
So - that's 16 days with a new team for a 33-year-old running back with a history of injuries. And he's rocketed to the top of Jay Gruden's depth chart.
Good idea? Hey, why not?
Washington needs something - anything - in the backfield with rookie Derrius Guice lost for the year (torn ACL) and Byron Marshall on IR with a sprained ankle. Chris Thompson did not take a single carry in the preseason, still recovering from a surgically-repaired broken fibula last November.
Adrian Peterson hasn't been "Adrian Peterson" since 2015, when he led the NFL with 327 carries and 1,485 yards for the Vikings. He scored 11 touchdowns that season, but it wound up being the last time he would see the end zone in a Vikings uniform. He tore the meniscus in his right knee in the first game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Week 2 the following season, returned 12 weeks later but that was all. He was released in February 2017 and many speculated that just might cap a Hall of Fame career.
But Peterson came back with New Orleans to start last season. Against the Vikings in Week 1 he was upstaged by rookie Dalvin Cook, and traded to the Cardinals by Oct. 10. Arizona released him in March.
Peterson now gets a fresh start. Literally.
