Less than a week after Jacory Croskey-Merritt announced his arrival with a 24-yard touchdown run in the Monday Night Football preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Brian Robinson Jr. was traded to the San Francisco 49ers.
For many fans, this signaled the changing of the guard in the backfield, with the Commanders seeing enough from the seventh-round rookie to hand him the keys as the starting running back.
Much to their chagrin, Croskey-Merritt finds himself listed as fourth on the unofficial depth chart entering Week 1. Veteran Austin Ekeler is the starter.