The Redskins have signed running back Chris Thompson to a contract extension. Thompson is coming off a career year in Washington with more than 700 yards of total offense and five touchdowns.
The Washington Redskins are keeping their veteran leader at the running back position around for a few more years.
On Tuesday, the Redskins announced a contract extension for running back Chris Thompson.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Thompson, 26, is entering his fourth season with the Redskins after being selected in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL Draft out of Florida State.
In total, the 5-foot-8, 191 pounder has amassed 106 carries for 584 yards and three touchdowns along with 90 receptions for 616 yards and five receiving touchdowns in his career.
Thompson has also returned 28 kickoffs for 583 yards and seven punts for 36 yards.
Where Thompson has made a name for himself recently is as a third down back for the Redskins. But his role could expand this season.
"First, second down, there is some feature plays we like for him in the backfield," said Redskins head coach Jay Gruden. "But I think when you're talking about Chris, you're talking about taking care of your body in the offseason; getting a little bit stronger, just continuing to work on your craft.
"I've never had an issue with Chris. He's one of the smartest players on our team. You're always looking to get better and I think his way of getting better is to take care of his body in the weight room, obviously running and keeping himself in shape, which he has."
Check out behind the scenes images from Running Back, Chris Thompson's 2017 Redskins Photo Shoot.
Last year, Thompson recorded a career-high 49 receptions for 349 yards and two touchdowns. While he's proven to be an option catching out of the backfield for quarterback Kirk Cousins, he also excels in pass blocking situations.
"He's a very valuable commodity to our football team, both in pass protection and getting out on the routes," Gruden said. "I mean, the thought of him not being around scares the heck out of me. So he's improved every part of his game, and a lot of these young players, they do that. You either get better or worse, and he's just one of those guys that continues to work and he's gotten better at everything.
"His vision on the running game and his pass protection has gotten better and better, and his routes, really, are the most improved, I think, coming out of the backfield. It takes some time for those guys to work their releases and work on the linebackers and run them at the right depth and come out at the right angles and all that stuff, and he's darn-near perfected it."
Thompson thanked the Redskins on Twitter:
