4 Commanders players who excelled during preseason finale triumph vs. Bengals

Chris Rodriguez Jr. - Commanders RB

Chris Rodriguez Jr.'s performances throughout the preseason have been exceptional. running back is exceptional. He averaged more than seven yards per rushing attempt through the Washington Commanders' three warmup contests, which cemented his roster position and might lead to some involvement when the regular season begins.

The coaching staff likes him, because Rodriguez plays with heart, runs hard, blocks with ferocity, and definitely loves contact. In my honest opinion, the sixth-round selection has the upper hand over Jaret Patterson, Derrick Gore, and Jonathan Williams for the No. 3 running back spot behind Brian Robinson Jr. and Antonio Gibson.

Rodriguez is also improving his pass-caching out of the backfield just like Robinson and Gibson, I can see this young man getting on the field in the regular season just because of the offensive scheme that Eric Bieniemy uses.

He also leads the Commanders in rushing, carrying the ball seven times for 52 yards against the Cincinnati Bengals. All of that came in the first half of the game - very impressive with only limited action.

With Robinson as the lead back, Rodriguez's role will be worth noting - especially coming into Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals. Gibson could be used more in the passing game and the one-time Kentucky star could be deployed as a blocking back. This would serve very well when you are looking for matchups against certain opponents.