ASHBURN — Bryce Love gives himself 10 minutes. That’s the time the Washington running back says he allocates to be upset over something before moving on. No more.
Last year — the season in which he missed his entire rookie campaign due to recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in college — Love found the need for a lot of “10-minute rules,” he said. The 23-year-old tried to follow the philosophy he developed in high school, when he learned how to cope with a lack of playing time during his sophomore and junior years.
“The hardest part was just not being able to do certain things,” Love said. “Letting time take its course.”
Love’s course has brought him here. At training camp, the now-healthy 2019 fourth-rounder is in the thick of Washington’s running back competition, and his potential has infatuated coaches as they look to craft an offense that is no longer among the worst in the NFL. Love can possibly be a piece that helps them — especially if he resembles the 2,000-yard rusher he was in 2017, a year in which he garnered Heisman Trophy votes at Stanford.
Love’s action has been limited so far, and on Thursday, coaches gave him a day off to help manage his recovery. But Washington coach Ron Rivera has raved about Love, saying he could become an every-down back. He said he sees the explosion — the quickness — that defined Love’s game, which is encouraging because not every player regains their speed after a torn ACL.
Washington also views Love as versatile, Rivera said. The team has run him from a variety of formations and Rivera said Love has responded well to each.
“A lot of things we do fit of what he’s grown up in as a college player,” Rivera said. “We think we can take some of those elements and incorporate them with him when he’s in the ball game. So he’s a guy that’s going to continue to grow, and if he does and shows what he’s capable of, he’ll get an opportunity.”
Stanford and Washington both employ a zone-read, gap-run scheme. When Love examines Washington’s playbook, he said he recognizes similar concepts and details. Offensive coordinator Scott Turner places an emphasis on running backs in his scheme, involving them heavily in the passing attack.
At Stanford, Love wasn’t known as a receiving threat. He caught just 49 passes across four seasons — whereas he finished his Stanford career with 569 rushing attempts. But for two of those years, Love was a backup to Christian McCaffrey — perhaps the best receiving back in football — and used that time to study his teammate’s game.
When Washington hired Turner, Love again went and examined McCaffrey as the running back played under the offensive coordinator in Carolina. This time, he even reached out to McCaffrey to seek out his thoughts about the offense. McCaffrey told Love he enjoyed the system and that he “loved” playing under Turner, Love said.
Washington’s coaches haven’t shied away from comparing Love — or any running back, for that matter — to McCaffrey. It’s a comparison that Love has heard repeatedly, but on Thursday, Love said he wasn’t focused on it. McCaffrey, he said, was special.
“I’m excited again to follow up behind his act,” Love said, “(and) hopefully perform at a high level.”
To do that, Love will need his knee to cooperate. Love said he feels great, adding he had the benefit of using all of last year to recover. He started to feel 100% sometime around February or March, saying he was comfortable with his progress. And as rehab progressed, Love started to expand his workload, focusing on his route running and catching passes out of the backfield.
Rivera said it’s key for Love to regain his confidence. Love, though, indicated that is happening.
“I really have always just focused on being the best version of myself,” Love said. “I’m excited to be apart of the future.”
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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