Late in the Washington Commanders' 27-18 Week 2 loss to the Green Bay Packers, veteran running back Austin Ekeler had to be carted off after suffering a non-contact injury. It was announced later that he had suffered an Achilles tear, effectively ending his season. Now, the franchise names a new starting running back for the remainder of the 2025-26 campaign.
Reports indicate that seventh-round rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt is the new starting running back for the Commanders, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. Croskey-Merritt initially earned a role on the active roster through his efforts in training camp.
“Jacory Croskey-Merritt, known as Bill, now becomes the Commanders' RB1, while Ekeler sets his eyes on recovery.”
Austin Ekeler's future is up in the air after suffering such a brutal injury. We've seen several professional athletes bounce back from an Achilles tear. However, Ekeler's age is a factor at this point in his career, as he just turned 30 years old in the offseason. We'll see how his road to recovery plays out, but his journey will not be easy. He ends the 2025-26 season with 43 rushing yards and 38 receiving yards.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt now steps in as the starting running back. Washington traded Brian Robinson Jr. to the San Francisco 49ers before the start of the regular season. It's said that Croskey-Merrit, who is 24 years old, was part of the reason why the Commanders felt comfortable enough to trade away Robinson.
The rookie running back played several years at the college level. His collegiate career began at Alabama State (an FCS school). He then transferred to New Mexico for the 2023-24 season, where he recorded 1,190 rushing yards and 18 total touchdowns (17 rushing). Croskey-Merritt then transferred to Arizona in the hopes of improving his draft stock. However, an eligibility issue forced him to play just one game for the Wildcats. He totaled 106 yards and a touchdown in his lone game at Arizona.
We should expect to see Croskey-Merritt in the backfield often for the Commanders. However, Chris Rodriguez Jr. and Jeremy McNichols will likely have opportunities to help in the passing game and potentially have some rushing attempts of their own.
