Jacory Croskey-Merritt just made a case the Commanders can't ignore

The Washington Commanders lost to the Dallas Cowboys on Christmas Day, but the game was much closer than anybody anticipated. Part of that was thanks to a strong showing by the supporting cast around third-string quarterback Josh Johnson.

Deebo Samuel Sr. was every bit the weapon the Commanders traded for, accounting for 93 total yards of offense with multiple chunk plays. Terry McLaurin was his usual productive self with five catches for 63 receiving yards. Even Ben Sinnott hauled in three passes, a career-high.

But Washington's most significant contribution offensively came from the run game. Specifically, from running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt.

Jacory Croskey-Merritt is staking a strong claim for Commanders' RB1 role in 2026

Commanders fans were dealt an unfortunate surprise on Christmas morning when Chris Rodriguez Jr. was made inactive against the Cowboys due to an illness. The ground-pounding third-year pro from Kentucky had emerged as Washington's lead back in recent weeks, although he also missed Week 15 against the New York Giants with an injury.

This paved the way for the player whom everybody has wanted to see more of all year. Croskey-Merritt took the Commanders by storm over the offseason as a seventh-round pick, and became Washington's RB1 in only three weeks after Brian Robinson Jr. was traded and Austin Ekeler tore his Achilles.

Croskey-Merritt had some strong showings early in the season, mainly a 150-yard all-purpose outing against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 5. But he went through his growing pains and was largely phased out of Washington's rotation while Kliff Kingsbury rolled with the hot hand in Rodriguez.

In recent weeks, the man known as "Bill" has re-emerged. He scored touchdowns in back-to-back games against the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles, and saw his first career multi-score performance on Christmas. The highlight was a 72-yard scamper to the end zone early in the third quarter.

Croskey-Merritt found a hole, got a great block from Josh Conerly Jr., and his speed did the rest. Former Washington second-team All-Pro Clinton Portis had just been brought in for a remote interview on Netflix's broadcast of the action, and he was as impressed as the rest of the Commanders faithful.

The effort would be for naught as Washington lost by a touchdown, dropping to 4-12 on the season. But the Commanders' youth movement — at least, whatever there is of it — stepped up in a big way, and Croskey-Merritt was a massive part of that.

There are several directions the Commanders could take with their offensive backfield in 2026. Croskey-Merritt is making his case that the answer is already in the building.