One game into their preseason slate, Washington have already lost a player that was expected to be a key contributor to their offence.

Rookie running back Derrius Guice suffered an ACL tear in his left knee in the first quarter of Thursday’s preseason game against the New England Patriots, which will keep him out for the year. It’s the same knee that gave him problems last year at LSU, causing him to miss a game in his junior year.

Though he has yet to play a regular season game, Guice was supposed to open up Washington’s offence as a playmaking threat in the running game. Washington invested a second-round draft pick on the 21-year-old following a season in which they ranked 28th in the league in rushing yards (1,448) and 30th in yards per rush (3.4).

With Guice in the backfield and new quarterback Alex Smith under centre, Washington were set to have a revamped attack. Now, they’ll likely have to rely on familiar faces in the backfield.

Rob Kelley and Samaje Perine are in line for extended roles as early-down backs. Neither were particularly effective last season, however, as Kelley averaged just 3.1 yards per rush in his second year, while Perine was mostly inefficient with a 3.4 mark.

Perine, who Washington drafted in the fourth round in 2017, may get the first opportunity with Guice now sidelined, thanks to his heavy workload in the second half of last season when he eclipsed the century mark in yards twice.

Washington also have Chris Thompson, who was the change-of-pace and third-down back before breaking his leg last year. Though he’s not a much of a bruising, in-between-the-tackles type of runner, Thompson could see the field the most among all of Washington’s current options because of his ability as a receiver – a trait that meshes well with Smith, who has a penchant for attacking with shallow throws.

Regardless of who Washington turn to, or if it’s a committee, the reality is their running game is unlikely to take a major step forward.