Commanders deep dive: Does Eric Bieniemy need a new type of running back?

Commanders RBs by the measurables

You can see this in the measurables. Forget 40 times. That’s a vastly overrated data point for runners.

Of course, everyone would prefer to have a guy with Chris Johnson-like breakaway speed. But that number only really matters once a back has broken through the line and is in a foot race with speedy defensive backs to the end zone.

Look instead at the “burst” numbers. Look at vertical leap and broad jump to get a sense of a runner’s inherent ability to hit holes fast and hard.

The Washington Commanders have only had one back with elite burst numbers under Ron Rivera. That was J.D. McKissic. In case you forgot, he also was the only one to break a play more than 30 yards in 2022. And in case you doubly forgot, he is no longer with the team.

Antonio Gibson, Brian Robinson Jr., and Chris Rodriguez Jr. all have average burst numbers. You can see it when you watch them. They do not explode through holes.

Again, this does not mean they are not good runners. There is a great deal more that goes into being an effective runner than simply having that burst.

Robinson is a textbook example of this. His vertical leap at the NFL Scouting Combine his senior year in college was so bad you’d think it was a misprint. When you see him generate the power he does on his runs, you may be inclined to throw out these results.

The former Alabama star is clearly a big strong runner, but he also has intangibles and knowledge about how to run. Robinson knows how to run with forward lean so he is not easily pushed back. He understands how to angle his body when feeling contact so that he invariably can squeeze out an extra yard or two.

These are things that really good runners either know instinctively or learn through experience, regardless of what their vertical leap may be.

Contrast that with Gibson, the fastest and most explosive of Washington’s backs. He was a receiver in college. As we have watched him adjust to running back at the professional level, we have seen the learning curve.

He does not do those things that Robinson appears to do instinctively. Gibson remains too upright when he runs. That is almost certainly part of the reason for his fumbling. But it also means he does not break as many tackles as he should given his athleticism, which in turn leads to the lack of big plays.

The best runners in the league – from Derrick Henry to Christian McCaffery to Jonathan Taylor – all boast elite burst numbers. Henry’s 130-inch broad jump at the combine is still talked about in hushed tones. Under Ron Rivera, Washington has seemed to prefer strong backs who can get tough yards as opposed to ones who can genuinely scare a defense.