Washington Football Team running back Bryce Love will return to practice Wednesday, the team announced. Love has been on injured reserve with a knee injury since Oct. 2.
Washington now has 21 days to decide to activate Love from injured reserve or keep him on IR for the remainder of the season.
Love, who was drafted in the fourth round in 2019, has yet to play in an NFL game. He suffered a torn ACL in his last game in college while at Stanford in 2018. The injury plummeted the draft stock of the 2017 Heisman Trophy runner-up.
After missing all of his rookie season a year ago, Love impressed Washington coaches enough in training camp to make the team’s initial 53-man roster. He was inactive for each of the first three games but experienced swelling in his knee, forcing the team to place him on IR ahead of Week 4.
As the start of Love’s NFL career stalled, rookie Antonio Gibson has emerged as the featured back in Washington this season. He leads the team with 391 rushing yards and five touchdowns through eight games. Veteran JD McKissic has settled in as the third-down back with 34 catches for 248 yards.
If and when Love is activated to the active roster, he could challenge Peyton Barber for Washington’s third running back. Barber has been used sparingly and rushed for a total of 81 yards this season.
