Brian Robinson Jr, the Washington Commanders’ running back, will not participate in Monday night’s preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals. His decision raises serious concerns about Ronaldo’s future with the club. The organization will likely look for trade opportunities for him in the next few days.
Robinson’s journey has been marked by resilience. On August 28, 2022, he was shot in the course of an attempted robbery in Washington, D.C. After the accident, he had knee surgery and after an incredible recovery, only two years later, he played in 12 games that season. In doing so, he posted career-high rushing yards during that span — 797 with two rushing touchdowns. His on-field production turned a corner with a career-best season last year, where he totaled a career-best 799 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.
Since being drafted by the Commanders in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft, Robinson has accumulated 2,329 rushing yards across 41 games. He’s averaged just 4.1 yards per carry, good for 40th among running backs since he entered the league. He was incisive with an average of 56.8 rushing yards a game, good for 17th in the league. He ranked 29th in yards gained after first contact. Conversely, he ranked 86th in the percent of his runs that went for at least 10 yards.
The Commanders have been doing a running back rotation throughout training camp. Robinson has taken the first snap reliably every time, bolstering his dependability. With rumor and speculation at a fever pitch about his future, the tea now finds itself at a decisive crossroads.
If Washington does indeed move on from Robinson, only nine players will remain on the roster. That would all need to occur after general manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn were brought on at the end of the 2023 season. If they are unable to locate a trade partner, they would need to consider cutting Robinson. That would be a painful move, given that they’ve made him their lead back for the last three seasons.
In discussing the competition among running backs, Kliff Kingsbury noted the depth of talent within the group:
“All six or seven guys in there have a place in this league,” – Kliff Kingsbury.
He added,
“They all have dynamic traits, all have things to do really well and guys when they had their opportunity have played at a high level. It’s a deep group and we just got to see how it shakes out.” – Kliff Kingsbury.
Leave a Reply