Give him a crease and he was gone.
That’s what it felt like watching Clinton Portis in 2003. One cut, that high-knee burst, and suddenly linebackers were chasing air. For a franchise stuck in quarterback chaos and coaching turnover, Portis was pure clarity. Hand him the ball and something good was about to happen.
Washington fans remember those years as messy. New coordinators. Big-name signings that didn’t pan out. Seasons that hovered around mediocrity. But buried inside that noise was a running back putting together one of the most dominant stretches in the league.
Portis didn’t arrive in Washington until 2004, but his 2003 season in Denver is what made him feel like a franchise cornerstone when the trade happened. That year he rushed for 1,591 yards and 14 touchdowns, averaging over five yards per carry. He was only 22 years old. Washington saw that explosion and decided he was worth trading Champ Bailey for, a move that shocked the fanbase at the time.
When Portis put on a Washington uniform in 2004, expectations were sky high because of what he had just done.
And he delivered.
In 2005, he rushed for 1,516 yards and 11 touchdowns, powering Washington to a 10-6 record and a playoff berth. That team leaned on him heavily. Mark Brunell wasn’t asked to win games by himself. The offense ran through Portis, and everyone in the stadium knew it. He carried the ball 351 times that season, absorbing hits and still grinding out tough yards late in games.
The December 24, 2005 game against the New York Giants still stands out. Portis rushed for 112 yards in a must-win situation, sealing a playoff spot and sending Washington into the postseason with real momentum. For a franchise that had struggled for consistency, having a back who could control tempo felt like stability.
But what makes Portis’ peak feel forgotten is the era around it.
Washington wasn’t a juggernaut. The team bounced between hope and frustration. Joe Gibbs returned to coach in 2004, trying to recapture old magic. There were flashes, but the league had changed. The roster never quite felt complete. While other teams built dynasties or high-powered passing attacks, Washington relied on grit and defense, and Portis was the engine that made it work.
From 2004 to 2008, he topped 1,200 rushing yards four times. In 2008, he opened the season looking like an MVP candidate, piling up yardage in the first half of the year before injuries slowed him down. He finished with 1,487 yards and nine touchdowns, keeping Washington competitive in a division that never gave anyone breathing room.
And yet, when fans talk about dominant running backs of that era, Portis rarely tops the list. LaDainian Tomlinson gets the headlines. Shaun Alexander gets remembered for his MVP season. Even Priest Holmes’ Kansas City run often gets more attention.
But for Washington fans, Portis was the identity.
He ran angry. He blocked in pass protection like he took it personally. He didn’t dance in the backfield. He attacked. In an era where the offense often felt conservative, he made it explosive without theatrics.
The numbers back it up. Over his Washington career, he rushed for 6,824 yards and 46 touchdowns. He carried the ball more than 1,500 times in burgundy and gold. Those aren’t empty stats. They’re the foundation of every meaningful stretch the team had during those seasons.
The frustrating part is that his peak coincided with a franchise still trying to find its footing. Quarterback instability, front office churn, and defensive inconsistencies meant his dominance never translated into deep playoff runs or national spotlight moments. Without a signature championship push, his greatness faded from broader conversations.
But inside Washington, fans remember.
They remember the cold December games where Portis churned out four-yard gains that felt like body blows to a defense. They remember the way he’d pop through the line and suddenly be 20 yards downfield before the secondary could react. They remember that for a few seasons, no matter how shaky everything else felt, the ground game was real.
Every franchise has eras it would rather forget. But even in those stretches, there are players who deserve more than a footnote.
Clinton Portis gave Washington something dependable in years that rarely were. He didn’t have the national spotlight every Sunday, but he carried the offense like it belonged to him.
And if you watched those seasons closely, you know exactly how good he really was.