It's that time of year again when the NFL preseason takes star players out for the year with season ending injuries. It's a constant frustration for coaches, fans, and the players themselves but it's something that we're all well accustomed to by now. It's always heartbreaking to see anyone go down for the year with an injury, but there's something that much more saddening when it happens to a rookie. To see a promising young player having his career put at risk without even tasting action in a full NFL game is gut wrenching, and particularly when it happens to a guy that seems to be so beloved by his teammates. Exactly that happened to the Redskins young running back Derrius Guice last week. The second round pick out of LSU suffered a torn ACL in his first NFL preseason game against the Patriots and will miss the entire 2018 season. It's a huge blow to the Redskins, especially considering how dynamic he had looked in the game, rolling off a couple of eye-catching runs. 

The reaction in the locker room was clearly one of sadness, and that feeling continued into this weekend as fellow Washington RB Chris Thompson struggled to keep his emotions in check when talking about his young teammate at practice. 

“It’s just a tough situation, man. Just, it hurts me. He came into the facility with his brother yesterday, and his brother was crying and was just like, ‘Man, I hate to see my brother like that.’ And it’s the same way with me, man." Thompson said. 

“Me and him have been through a lot, and to just see him go down before the season even got started, like before he could even get a taste of the field, he was already down. It’s just tough. I just hate to see any of my boys go down like that. And I’mma stay with him and, you know, just make sure I help him keep his spirits up and try to be the guy he’s always been — you know, the guy that y’all have seen every day. But like I said, yesterday was the first time I saw him and I felt him faking the happiness, and that’s not something I want to see out of my guys.”

It's a rough start for the Washington backfield, and they'll be wishing Guice a speedy and full recovery ahead of the 2019 season.