The Redskins have signed running back Peyton Barber, the team announced XX. Barber, 26, has spent the past four seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Head coach Ron Rivera is familiar with Barber dating back to his years as the head coach of the Carolina Panthers. In eight games against the Panthers, Barber had 79 carries for 262 yards while averaging 3.3 yards per attempt.
Barber has appeared in 63 games and rushed for 1,987 yards and 15 touchdowns. Here are five things Redskins fans should know about the running back.
1. He comes from a college that produces solid running backs.
Barber was a three-star recruit when playing for Milton High School in Georgia. He was originally set to play for the University of Mississippi before reneging on his commitment to sign with Auburn.
The Tigers have a history of churning out NFL-caliber running backs dating back to Cadillac Williams in 2005. Other recent Tigers running backs who were drafted include Kerryon Johnson, Cameron Artis-Payne, Tre Mason and Ben Tate.
Although he only played two seasons and one as a consistent starter for the Tigers, Barber made the most of his time by rushing for 1,017 yards and 13 touchdowns while averaging 4.3 yards per rush.
The Tigers went 15-11 with Barber on the team and appeared in two bowl games. He chose to forego his final two years of eligibility to enter the 2016 NFL Draft.
2. He was an undrafted free agent who earned a starting job.
Barber posted solid numbers at the NFL Scouting Combine with a 4.64 40-yard dash time and a 4.21 20-yard shuttle, but he went undrafted and was signed by the Buccaneers.
Barber made it through training camp but was waived as part of the team's final roster cuts. He was back with the Buccaneers the next day as a member of the practice squad and then promoted to the active roster four days later.
He was used as a special teams player for the first four games, but he finally got his first-career carry against Rivera and Panthers in Week 5. He only had three carries for six yards, but he saw a large increase in production the following week with 12 carries for 84 yards against the San Francisco 49ers.
Two games later, he got his first-career start. He went on to start four games in 2017 and all 16 in 2018.
3. The NFL is a family affair for him.
Barber isn't the first player in his family to play in the NFL. Actually, he has three cousins -- Marion and Dominique Barber and Jeremy Langford -- who have had stints among the professional ranks.
Marion was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft and played for six seasons in Dallas and one with the Chicago Bears. He was a versatile running back during that time with 4,780 rushing yards and 1,330 receiving yards. He even had a Pro Bowl season in 2007 with 1,257 total yards and 12 touchdowns.
Barber's other cousins had shorter careers. Dominique was drafted by the Houston Texans with a sixth-round pick in 2008 and played four seasons. Langford began his NFL career in 2015 and played for the Bears for two seasons followed by a one-year stint with the Atlanta Falcons.
4. He produced for the Buccaneers when given the chance.
Barber's 2018 season was the only time he was a starter for all 16 games, but he proved he could be one of the league's better running backs.
Despite the Buccaneers posting a 5-11 record in 2018, Barber had his best statistical season by leading the team with 871 yards and five touchdowns. That was good enough for 20th in terms of rushing leaders, beating out players like Kareem Hunt, Frank Gore and Mark Ingram.
Barber's best game came in Week 11 against the New York Giants with 18 carries for 106 yards while averaging 5.9 yards per attempt. That rushing effort remains the best single-game performance of his career, while his yards per attempt is his third-best.
Prior to Week 9 of the 2019 season, Barber had a streak of 23 consecutive starts and rushed for 1,133 yards while averaging about 49 yards per game.
5. He joins a crowded Redskins running back room.
Washington's running back group was already full of talent before the Redskins signed Barber. It's now even more crowded.
It's clear the Redskins have plans for the running back position. They started by exercising their club option to bring back Adrian Peterson, then reportedly agreed to terms with J.D. McKissic. In addition to Derrius Guice, Bryce Love and Josh Ferguson, bringing in Barber gives the Redskins six running backs on the roster.
It would appear that Rivera and offensive coordinator Scott Turner want options at the running back position. They added one more to their disposal by signing Barber.
