ASHBURN, Va. -- The conversations took place after games last season and became almost routine for Washington Redskins running back Chris Thompson. They were part of his weekly routine: play well, receive praise.

After one game against the Philadelphia Eagles, running back Darren Sproles delivered the kind words. Another time it was members of the Detroit Lions’ coaching staff. Then it was Arizona defensive end Calais Campbell.

The message changed a little, but could be boiled down to this: You’re good.

"That’s the type of thing I want and like to hear," Thompson said. "It's not so much about being feared, but having that respect of guys on other teams."

Get ready for more such praise as Thompson’s role increases and his game keeps improving. That’s partly because he was healthy last offseason, allowing him to focus on getting stronger or working on his game rather than rehabbing. And it’s partly because of how Thompson is wired.

In college, Thompson used speed and quickness to excel as a back. In the NFL, those traits still are useful, but he has also learned to become more patient, which helped him run with better vision. He’s only 5-foot-8 and 191 pounds, but he has also developed into a solid pass-protector.

Increased durability

Thompson’s talent helped him reach the NFL, but it's his approach that has turned him into a valuable piece of the Redskins’ offense. With quarterback Kirk Cousins still getting comfortable with receivers Terrelle Pryor Sr. and Josh Doctson, holdovers such as Thompson represent a strong security blanket.

Look for the Redskins to increase Thompson's touches. They worried about his durability before last season, but he held up well over 16 games in 2016, receiving 7.3 touches per game. At his size, he’ll never be a primary back. However, he should get more touches.

"Last year he was very good in his role," Redskins coach Jay Gruden said of Thompson. "He's a very valuable commodity to our football team, both in pass protection and getting out on the routes. The thought of him not being around scares the heck out of me."

The durability concerns have been real. Thompson suffered knee and back injuries at Florida State. He dealt with a torn labrum in his shoulder during his rookie season in 2013. And he needed shoulder surgery after the 2015 season. But he was fine after this season, the first one in which he played all 16 games.

It’s easier for a player to work out in the offseason when he's preparing for a season rather than working around health issues from the past. The latter is a lonely road.

"Being around other guys [working out], that motivates you as opposed to coming here and working out by myself [to rehab]," Thompson said.

"It’s tough on the mind, too. A lot of it is mental.”

Perfecting routes

During the spring, Thompson spent one day working with the receivers and their position coach, Ike Hilliard, to try to perfect his routes. The session lasted maybe 45 minutes, but Thompson took what he learned and continued to work on it, whether by himself or when running routes in practice.

Thompson focused on footwork. He said he tended to stop his feet before making a break while running a choice route, where he reads the defender and picks which way to cut. He worked on staying balanced with his shoulders out over his toes. Before, Thompson said he’d occasionally slip out of his breaks. Not anymore.

"He’s just one of those guys that continues to work, and he’s gotten better at everything," Gruden said. "His routes, really, are the most improved, coming out of the backfield. It takes some time for those guys to work their releases and work on the linebackers and run them at the right depth and come out at the right angles and all that stuff, and he’s darn-near perfected it."

Linebacker Zach Brown had not faced Thompson until signing with the Redskins this offseason and covering him in practice.

“He’s one of the hardest backs to cover in the league because he can stop and go and change directions,” Brown said. “It’s hard to cover that guy one on one. … I tell him, ‘Look, you have to do these linebackers in. If they’re playing man on you, ride them up. Nobody can cover you. I said I can barely cover you, and I’m one of the fastest linebackers in the league."

Hilliard said of Thompson, “He’s a stud. He really is.”

And that was the message Thompson received from others after games last season. In 2016, he caught 49 passes for 349 yards and two touchdowns and ran 68 times for 356 more yards and three scores. Thompson has quietly evolved into one of the NFL’s most effective third-down backs.

“After the Eagles game Darren Sproles came up to me and said, 'I respect your game, I like what you’re doing. Keep it up.' I was like, 'Man, I’m trying to get to your level,'" Thompson said. "For me to hear that from him, that was big because he’s the best third-down back to ever do it. It means a lot."