The Washington Commanders selected Jacory Croskey-Merritt with the No. 245 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. He wasted no time becoming the darling of the offseason.
This incredible hype has carried into the campaign. Croskey-Merritt is rapidly emerging as one of the team's most promising young building blocks.
Despite his immediate fan-favorite status, it took Croskey-Merritt a few weeks to find a featured role in the Commanders' backfield. He received no more than 10 carries in any of Washington's first four games, as the team operated with a committee approach after Austin Ekeler tore his Achilles in Week 2.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt's breakout is shaking up Commanders' running back dynamic
Croskey-Merritt finally got the usage Washington fans had been waiting for against the Los Angeles Chargers. The seventh-round rookie accounted for 150 total yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns on 16 touches. That's extremely positive, but it might have come with collateral damage attached.
In the weeks immediately after Ekeler's injury, it was 2023 sixth-round pick Chris Rodriguez Jr. who seemed to benefit the most from his absence. The Kentucky product was a healthy scratch in Washington's first two games but impressed with some big plays against the Las Vegas Raiders and Atlanta Falcons. He ripped off a 48-yard gain in Week 4, a bright spot in the Commanders' loss.
Against the Chargers, Rodriguez got five carries for only seven rushing yards. Jeremy McNichols additionally only got two touches, a six-yard rush, and a catch for 12 receiving yards. With Jayden Daniels back in the lineup, there were more designed quarterback runs. Aside from that, it was the Croskey-Merritt show.
Through five weeks, Croskey-Merritt leads the entire NFL in yards per carry. His vision, patience, and shiftiness are transcendent for a player drafted where he was, and he is quickly improving as a blocker and receiving threat out of the backfield. After compiling only 15 yards through the air in the first four weeks combined, he had 39 at SoFi Stadium.
Head coach Dan Quinn said the reason Croskey-Merritt was featured so heavily in Week 5 was scheme-related, so it's not a guarantee he'll be the bell cow every week. With the Chargers running a gap scheme, run game coordinator Anthony Lynn decided to roll with the hot hand against his former team.
Dan Quinn said the plan didnt necessarily call for Bill to get the most carries, but the LAC gap scheme and how well he was running got Anthony Lynn to say keep it going, even after the fumble
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) October 6, 2025
Still, with the Commanders' next two opponents — the Chicago Bears and Dallas Cowboys — both struggling against the run, we should see Croskey-Merritt fully unleashed.
It's what everybody in Washington wants to see. Unfortunately, it will have to come at the expense of another late-round success story in Rodriguez.