AP

When running back Adrian Peterson signed earlier this week, Washington head coach Jay Gruden said that he hoped to get Peterson into the lineup for Friday’s game against the Broncos.

Peterson has had a couple of days of practice with his new team and that plan is moving forward. It appears that Washington will be giving Peterson time early in the game so that they can see him with quarterback Alex Smith and the starting offensive line to get a sense how all the pieces fit.

“In the first half, I’d like to get him some touches and get a good lather going,” Gruden said, via the Washington Post. “I think you [can] tell by the whole body of work that he has put on throughout his career. I think the big thing you try to see on the first seven [to] eight carries is getting out of the huddle, having the plays register in his mind, how quickly he can adapt to our audibles and all that goes into an offensive game plan. So, trying to give him a feel for the quarterback, snap count, our linemen, our blocking schemes, but as far as viewing him as a player and what he can do, I think the most important thing is just in the system what he can do.”

With no guaranteed money in Peterson’s deal unless he’s on the Week One roster and little role for him on the offense if he’s not handling early down work, Friday’s game is a big one for Washington’s decision-making process because other starters are likely to take it easy for the final preseason game.