Is JD McKissic’s Commanders career over after scary injury update?

The Washington Commanders re-signing J.D. McKissic in the offseason was regarded as a great move by the front office. What made the deal even sweeter was the fact McKissic spurned the Bills, with whom he verbally agreed to a two-year contract during the legal tampering period, to return to the nation’s capital.

Outside of Terry McLaurin, McKissic was arguably Washington’s most important offensive weapon last season. The veteran back ranked second on the team in catches and receiving yards, and finished in the top 10 at the position in both categories.

This season, though, McKissic’s role has been limited.

With Brian Robinson and Antonio Gibson carrying the backfield load, McKissic’s managed just 268 scrimmage yards and 27 catches in eight games played. In his last four games, McKissic’s caught eight passes on 17 targets for just 51 yards.

To make matters worse, McKissic missed the last two weeks with a neck injury, which brought back concerns from 2021 when is season ended prematurely due to a neck injury suffered in the Week 11 win over the Seahawks.

In a troubling update, the Commanders placed McKissic on injured reserve due to the injury and he’s expected to miss the rest of the year.

Commanders running back J.D. McKissic will miss the rest of the season with a neck injury.

This is awful news. Given he suffered a neck injury last season and the frightening nature of neck/head injuries, we worried this could be a season-ender. Out of respect for the player, we didn’t want to speculate that was the case.

Now, though, you have to wonder what this means for McKissic’s future in Washington. With Gibson emerging as a viable pass-catching option out of the backfield — Robinson is also capable in that department, but oddly hasn’t been used as a receiver — might the Commanders move on in the offseason?

According to OverTheCap, the Commanders can release McKissic and save $1.25 million against the cap, while incurring $2 million in dead money. With the 2022 draft class said to be incredibly running back friendly, Washington might be better off cutting bait with McKissic and drafting a prospect in the middle rounds.

We hate to even speak that into existence. McKissic is a leader in the locker room and his production goes without saying. At 29 years old (he’ll turn 30 before the start of next campaign), and coming off back-to-back season-ending neck injuries, we’re hard-pressed to imagine him being back in Ashburn.

We’ll cross that bridge when the time comes. For now, we wish McKissic a speedy recovery. Just a brutal run of luck for the beloved RB.

Commanders players are pumped JD McKissic spurned Bills in free agency

A number of Commanders players shared their excitement on social media after JD McKissic spurned the Bills to return to Washington.