After months of stalled contract negotiations, the Washington Commanders were rocked by a trade request from one of their biggest stars, second-team All-Pro wide receiver Terry McLaurin.
Naturally, the Commanders responded by dealing away a key offensive weapon only weeks before the start of the 2025 NFL regular season. But it wasn't McLaurin — it was starting running back Brian Robinson Jr.
Robinson has been a key contributor for the past three seasons since being drafted late in the third round in 2022, but was shipped to the San Francisco 49ers for a 2026 sixth-round pick. As a result, the hype train is officially off the rails for a player whom everybody in Washington has immediately fallen in love with.
Commanders are placing a significant amount of faith in rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt
It's no coincidence that Robinson's name began to surface in trade talks following an offseason in which seventh-round rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt has stolen all of the backfield headlines. The Arizona product impressed in early offseason camps, continued to turn heads throughout training camp, and then emphatically announced himself to the NFL world with a 27-yard touchdown run against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football.
Evidently, Washington's front office had seen enough to determine he possesses a much higher upside than Robinson, who reportedly fell out of favor with the coaching staff due to concerns about his aggression and durability.
It may seem like a gamble to trust a seventh-round rookie to immediately step into a featured role, but aside from kicker, running back is perhaps the most replaceable position in football. For a late-round or undrafted player, it's the easiest to succeed at. It's firmly reasonable to assume Croskey-Merritt can provide significant value right away.
The Commanders are no strangers to running back success stories. Sixth-round pick Alfred Morris surpassed veterans Roy Helu Jr., Evan Royster, and Tim Hightower on Washington's depth chart en route to being named the Week 1 starter 13 years ago. He rushed for 1,613 yards and 13 touchdowns in a rookie season that earned him second-team All-Pro honors.
Croskey-Merritt probably won't reach those same totals, as Austin Ekeler can be expected to take most of the third-down snaps and could start to begin the year. Chris Rodriguez Jr. and/or Jeremy McNichols also figure to be involved, provided they survive roster cuts. This will be a backfield by committee, and that's not even including the designed runs that quarterback Jayden Daniels will have drawn up for him.
Still, Robinson's departure signals a clear vote of confidence in Croskey-Merritt. Fans have been begging all offseason to see him get a chance to prove himself, and now he'll have it.