Robinson trade rumors heat up as Commanders’ backs vie for starting gig

Brian Robinson Jr. has likely played his last game as a Washington Commander.

Coach Dan Quinn and general manager Adam Peters held the running back out of Monday’s preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals as they consider trading or cutting the fourth-year pro.

Robinson’s absence spelled opportunity for hungry running backs Jacory Croskey-Merritt — a seventh-round rookie — and Chris Rodriguez Jr. That duo has less than three weeks to prove they’re ready to take Robinson’s role as the primary back on a run-heavy offense. 

They responded by running for a combined 73 yards on four carries behind the first-team offensive line against Cincy.

Quinn had to address the Robinson situation with his team before disclosing specifics to the media. The fact that Robinson didn’t play in the preseason game wasn’t particularly abnormal. Starters like linebacker Bobby Wagner and tight end Zach Ertz didn’t take the field either. 

But Robinson wasn’t even at the stadium. 

The Commanders are preventing the possibility of injury as they shop him for a potential trade. 

Veteran running backs typically fetch late-round picks on the trade market. The San Francisco 49ers sent a sixth-round pick with fourth-year running back Jordan Mason to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for fifth- and sixth-round selections this spring. The Bengals received a seventh-round pick from the Houston Texans for Pro Bowler Joe Mixon last year.

If a trade partner doesn’t materialize, league insiders expect the Commanders to release Robinson. He’s owed $3.4 million this season, according to salary cap website Spotrac.

“There’s just a lot of moving parts this time of year. Those things take place,” Quinn said. “I just wanted to make sure that’s my responsibility to let the team know whenever I can so they’re not hearing any information from anywhere else.”

Rodriguez, who took to the field on the first drive of Monday’s game, has been waiting for this opportunity. A 2023 sixth-rounder out of Kentucky, Rodriguez has bounced between the active roster and the practice squad, flashing a powerful running style in limited playing time. 

“My whole deal is just being ready whenever my number is called,” he told “The Kevin Sheehan Show” after Monday’s game.

Rodriguez finished the Bengals game with six carries for 62 yards as he split drives with Croskey-Merritt. The young backs are widely considered the favorites to take Robinson’s role on offense. Rodriguez has been waiting on this opportunity for years, biding his time as he honed his craft in Washington. 

“You look back to Kentucky; I wasn’t the starting back for the first three years. I had to figure it out. I think it’s the same mentality,” he said. “When I got here, I knew I wasn’t going to be the man right away. I had to work.”

Veteran Austin Ekeler, who has sat out both preseason games, will see first-team snaps in the regular season as a pass-catching option.

In his lone series with the first-team offensive line, Croskey-Merritt made a strong case for Robinson’s job. He exploded through a hole for a 27-yard touchdown before the starting offensive line — which NFL lineman-turned-analyst Brian Baldinger called “Hogish” — returned to the bench for the night. 

“It was a blessing to be able to be in that position. And once I seen daylight, I was like, it’s finally real,” the rookie said. “That moment felt amazing.”

If the rest of training camp was any indication, Croskey-Merritt will have more moments like that this season. He and the rest of the Commanders will have a pair of practices this week before Saturday’s preseason finale at home against the Baltimore Ravens. 

That’s less than a week before Quinn and general manager Adam Peters will cut the roster down to 53 players, determining who will be part of the opening day roster against the New York Giants on Sept. 7 at Northwest Stadium. 

“Going into training camp, we really thought this was a deep room. There would be real competition,” Quinn said, omitting Robinson from his recap of the roster. “Demetric Felton and Kazmeir [Allen], Bill [Croskey-Merritt] and [Austin Ekeler]. We knew this was one of our strengths going into training camp.”

The Commanders will likely keep three or four running backs on the 53-man roster. With Robinson probably on his way out, Ekeler, Rodriguez and Croskey-Merritt look primed to take roster spots. 

Veterans Jeremy McNichols, Felton and Allen will make their case in the preseason finale based on contributions in the passing game and on special teams.