Washington’s running back room has not received a plethora of touches overall to start the season, but running backs coach Randy Jordan is not keen on harping on what should or could be different for his unit. He looks at the limited carries situation from the first few games with a “quality over quantity perspective.”

“I tell them, first of all, don’t count the reps, but make the reps count,” Jordan said. “We talk about, number one is when you have an opportunity, you have to take advantage of it.

He noted that last Sunday that Jonathan Williams was a great example of that idea in action. Williams came off the bench in the second quarter and got the Commanders a crucial first down with his six-yard rush. It was his only carry of the game, but it moved the chains at an important moment.

Jordan does not just think there is potential for Washington’s running backs to be effective with limited touches. He sees that they still can bring real value without touching the ball at all.

“We talk about being an extension of the offensive line. And when you’re not getting the football, what kind of player are you? Everybody sees the running back spot as…when you get the ball, you hand it off or you catch it,” Jordan said. “I’m looking at all the play fakes. That’s one thing that we can do to help our line is when we do play-action, is doing a great job in terms of faking.”

That dynamic movement to affect the second level will be particularly key on Sunday against a Dallas side that leads the league in line stunts. With and without the ball in running backs’ hands, Jordan has emphasized that he is “really happy in terms of what they’ve been doing for us so far.”