The Washington Commanders are ready to move on from former starting running back Brian Robinson Jr., according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, but the reason might surprise fans around the NFL.
The Commanders believe that they may have found a seventh-round gem in Jacory Croskey-Merritt, who played six seasons of college football, but was limited to just one game in his lone season with a Power Four team.
Drafted with the 245th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Croskey-Merritt was considered an afterthought for most teams but he came on strong during training camp and has taken over the RB2 role in offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury’s offense.
Who Is Jacory Croskey-Merritt? College Stats and Scouting Profile
After four years at Alabama State, Croskey-Merritt broke out with a strong season at New Mexico in 2023, finishing with 1,190 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Eligibility issues cost Croskey-Merritt his final season at Arizona, where he played just one game against his former team. He had over 100 yards rushing and touchdown in his lone contest with the Wildcats versus New Mexico, racking up an impressive 8.2 yards per carry.
Croskey-Merritt put his talent and skills on full display during the East-West Shrine Bowl in January, when he finished with 97 yards and two touchdowns on just 11 carries.
Croskey-Merritt has excellent vision for a runner his size. He’s a one-cut runner who displays impressive quickness and decisiveness, which is especially valuable in Kingsbury’s zone blocking scheme.
He’s not your typical rookie either. Croskey-Merritt is 24 years old, which is considerably older than first-round running backs Ashton Jeanty (21) and Omarion Hampton (22).
But his age and experience might actually be something that has worked in his favor during his short time in the NFL.
Croskey-Merritt processes defenders quickly and reads defenses to the second level, allowing him to use his outstanding stop-and-go quickness to accelerate to the next level. He has also shown fearlessness as a runner, finishing runs with authority and fighting for extra yardage after contact.
Croskey-Merritt Shows Why Commanders Are Ready To Cut Robinson Jr.
A 7th-rounder (who didn’t play as a senior or get invited to the combine because of a jersey-related eligibility issue after transferring from New Mexico) rendering Brian Robinson Jr to the trade block before the Commanders second preseason game is a wild turn of events. https://t.co/hhZOIAIY3Q pic.twitter.com/DIfmA2VQKu
— Hayden Winks (@HaydenWinks) August 17, 2025
The emergence of Croskey-Merritt might have been a surprise for those outside of D.C., but the rookie opened eyes with his performance in Washington’s second preseason game on Monday night.
On just his second carry of the game, Croskey-Merritt took a handoff from Josh Johnson and showed off his impressive burst on a 27-yard touchdown run. He finished with 11 carries for 46 yards and a score.
Just finished talking about how high the #Commanders are on Crowley-Merritt in the below tweet.
Further illuminating Washington’s willingness to roll with the current bunch as Brian Robinson’s status is on hold in Washington. https://t.co/hVSnBqW1Ca pic.twitter.com/WDot3dG5Sk
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) August 19, 2025
Chris Rodriguez Jr. started the game and was the featured back on offense for most of the first half. He finished with six carries for 62 yards while getting work with the first-team offense and the backups.
