There was no stopping the Jacory Croskey-Merritt hype train earlier this season. The Washington Commanders used their final pick of the 2025 NFL Draft on the promising running back, and he immediately captivated fans around the league with an exceptional surge into consideration.
Croskey-Merritt blazed a trail from the moment he got into the building. He won a roster spot, and this sensational form continued over the opening few weeks of the campaign. Fans wondered whether the Commanders had a legitimate steal on their hands, and the player promised he would only get better with more experience.
Then, everything changed.
The seventh-round rookie became more hesitant. Washington's ground game failed to generate early momentum. Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury gradually reduced his usage. Pressing the panic button would be foolish, but it looks like the No. 245 pick has regressed to the mean.
Commanders have reduced Jacory Croskey-Merritt's work, but pressing the panic button is foolish
There is just something missing right now. Croskey-Merritt has been unseated from the starting role by Chris Rodriguez Jr., who's displaying the aggression and conviction this offense desperately needs. Whether this trend continues after the bye week remains to be seen, but there are growing questions among fans and the media about why the first-year pro has gone entirely to the fringes.
EB's big wonder on the Commanders' bye week: why has Bill been put on the back burner lately? pic.twitter.com/HexY7jxPaU
— The Team 980 (@team980) November 21, 2025
The answer might not be all that complex. Rodriguez is performing better at the moment. The Commanders needed to generate a spark on the ground, and he's providing it. Croskey-Merritt is still involved, but his 3.0 yards per carry average since Week 6 gave the Commanders every reason to diminish his workload.
What often gets lost is that Croskey-Merritt was a seventh-round pick who missed all but one game of his final college season. He remains a work in progress; that didn't change because he took the NFL by storm during his early transition. And with the Commanders struggling to generate any positivity, they are relying more on dependable players who've already proven their worth.
This strategy could shift down the stretch, especially if the Commanders keep losing. But regardless of how things go for Croskey-Merritt the rest of the way, he's got more than enough talent to carve out a highly productive career for himself with some additional polish this offseason.
Pass-catching, ball security, and blocking will be at the top of his to-do list for genuine progression. And make no mistake; nobody will be working harder than Croskey-Merritt to enhance his craft en route to more consistent production in 2026.
His role might have changed for the worse, but do not count Croskey-Merritt out just yet.