Friday night's preseason game at Gillette Stadium was only Croskey-Merritt's third game in a little over a year. Eligibility issues sidelined Croskey-Merrit for all but one game in 2024 with the Wildcats, part of the reason he slipped in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Croskey-Merritt didn't let his lack of game action affect his ability to make an impact at a higher level. Instead of taking the year off from football, he helped the team in a different capacity.
"He got ruled ineligible at Arizona and stayed and played scout team the whole year, which is like nobody would do that, so that tells you right there the type of passion he has for, and it shows up," Kingsbury said. "That was an exciting kind of pick for us and what he's shown so far."
The competition to make the 53-man roster isn't something that intimidates Croskey-Merritt. Instead, he believes the contest creates a sense of camaraderie among the group.
"We're all competing for a job, and it also pushes us to be a better person on and off the field so...we just love coming out here and competing everyday for that job," Croskey-Merritt said of the running back room."
The competition will further heat up Tuesday as the Commanders are holding its first intrasquad scrimmage -- dubbed the Burgundy & Gold game -- which will consist of situational drills and different matchups. Although the scrimmage is meant to be fun, it's also another chance for Croskey-Merritt to separate himself from the pack as the coaching staff works toward a final roster decision.
Scrimmage or not, the most important thing for Croskey-Merritt is taking each and every practice opportunity to showcase how he can elevate the Commanders' run game.
"It definitely feels good to be back on the field, because we've got another opportunity come next Monday, so I just have to learn from my mistakes that happened last game," Croskey-Merritt said.
The Commanders' next two preseason games against the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens are circled on Croskey-Merritt's calendar as moments in which he can display his continued improvement. He knows that each preseason game and practice rep will bring Croskey-Merritt one step closer to solidifying his role as the third running back on Washington's roster.