Redskins Blog: Redskins vs. Bucs: Five story lines to monitor in Thursdays preseason finale

Robert Griffin III wont be handing off to him on Thursday night, but Chris Thompson needs to do something positive when he gets the ball. (John McDonnell/The Washington Post)

The Washington Redskins on Thursday play their final game of the preseason, and for many players, its crunch time. Team officials and coaches will use Thursdays performances to help solidify their opinions of players in advance of the final roster cuts that will take place Friday and Saturday.

Coach Jay Gruden has opted not to play his starters, to spare them from risk of injury. He had considered playing his offensive starters after their unit struggled so mightily last week against Baltimore.

But Gruden decided instead that one series or two against Tampa Bay wouldnt make much of a difference, and that the risk of a season-ending injury to key players was too great. He also believed the need to further evaluate players battling for roster spots carried greater importance.

Let the backups play so, we can solidify those roles, very important, Gruden said explaining his decision. I think we have our starters. In general, we feel pretty good about who they are and now we need to find the key backups and who they are and make sure they get the ample reps to make the football team and show what they can do on the field.

Indeed, Washington does have uncertainty hovering over a number of impending decisions on key reserve/rotational players. Gruden hopes things sort themselves out Thursday night.

Heres a look at five story lines to follow against the Bucs.

1.) Thompsons last shot? Coaches dont hide their excitement about the potential second-year running back Chris Thompson boasts. Hes fast and elusive, he would provide a game-changing element to the backfield behind Pro Bowl workhorse Alfred Morris. But Gruden also hasnt hid the fact that there are serious concerns about Thompsons durability. Seriously injured as a junior and senior in college, and as a rookie in the NFL, Thompson again had a bout with injury bug this preseason, missing the past two preseason games with a low-ankle sprain. Finally healthy again, Gruden and his assistants want to see what Thompson can do in games, and they want to see that he can emerge from this contest uninjured. Thompson understands the urgency of the moment. Practice wasnt good enough. I did good enough at practices, but Ive got to go out there and show it on Thursday, that I can translate into a game. Its very important for me. Ive just got to show them I can make it through some games, and I will show them that. Thompson has Evan Royster, Lache Seastrunk and Silas Redd all vying for the same roster spot. All have had their bright spots while hes beensidelined. Now he needs a big night.

2.) Strong safety candidates Brandon Meriweathers suspension now sends coaches scrambling to find the player most capable of filling in at strong safety for the first two weeks of the regular season. Bacarri Rambo gets the first crack. Coaches see him as much improved as atackler. The second-year pro, who as a rookie was quickly benched because of tackling woes, actually ranks among the team leaders this preseason. He also has a forced fumble to his credit. Phillip Thomas would contend for this job, but instead, hes sidelined with injury again. Meanwhile, third-year pro Trenton Robinson and undrafted rookie Akeem Davis aim to make strong cases for themselves when their numbers are called at this position.

3.) Kicking battle Kai Forbath and rookie Zack Hocker get one last faceoff after two even performances in preseason outings 2 and 3. Hocker has shown great poise, which is uncommon at this position for a rookie, as well as leg strength. Forbath has displayed improved leg strength on kickoffs. But has he done enough to make coaches forget about his misses (one nullifiedbecause of a penalty) in the preseason opener?

The rest is here:
Redskins Blog: Redskins vs. Bucs: Five story lines to monitor in Thursdays preseason finale