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Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury made a bold statement about struggling RB Brian Robinson Jr.
Kliff Kingsbury can feel confident about how the Washington Commanders’ ability to dominate in the passing game in 2025, but the offensive coordinator is surprisingly just as optimistic about a cobbled together running game led by struggling veteran Brian Robinson Jr.
The latter was only a workmanlike starter rather than a dynamic bell-cow last season, but Kingsbury believes Robinson can bounce back. That belief is founded upon how Robinson has performed during OTAs.
Kingsbury explained Robinson has “been really focused,” per Commanders.com Senior Writer Zach Selby. The play-caller also pointed out Robinson “knows what this year means to him and can mean to us when he plays at that level.”
This level Kingsbury spoke of involves Robinson taking 20-plus carries a game and putting a definite identity on a patchwork running back committee. It’s a bold expectation for a player who has been touted as a trade candidate more than once this offseason.
Brian Robinson Jr. Struggling to Meet Expectations
On the surface, there was nothing wrong with Robinson’s top-line statistics last season. He averaged a respectable 4.3 yards on 187 carries, amassed 47 rushing first downs and scoring eight touchdowns on the ground.
The problem is Robinson’s far from elite in any one area. While he’s a willing grinder between the tackles, the 26-year-old does not run with overwhelming power. Nor can he turn on game-breaking speed when running off tackle, one reason why he produced just four runs of 20 yards or more.
His lack of a big-play threat is why Robinson has been a popular choice to be dealt, but despite below-par performances, he can still count Kingsbury among his biggest fans. As the OC put it, “B-Rob’s a guy who has played an incredibly high level,” Kingsbury said. “I thought early in the year when he was really healthy, he was what we expect him to be, and the focus this offseason has been great.”
Robinson needs to stay focused, but his status as Washington’s team leader in the backfield remains largely unchallenged thanks to a rotation still lacking star power.
Kliff Kingsbury Relying on RB Committee for Commanders
The depth chart is defined by fellow backs who can be put into two separate categories. First, there are veteran pass-catchers, Austin Ekeler and Jeremy McNichols.
Ekeler was hardly the multipurpose playmaker the Commanders hoped they were getting last offseason. A concussion curtailed the 30-year-old’s debut season in Washington, but Kingsbury believes (h/t NFL.com Senior News Writer Kevin Patra) Ekeler’s “expected to still play a key role” this season.
That role could be bad news for McNichols, another experienced and competent receiver out of the backfield. His usage looks likely to be strictly in emergencies only.
Neither McNichols nor Ekeler could take over the lead runner role Robinson occupies. It leaves the Commanders hoping late-round draft picks Chris Rodriguez Jr. and Jacory Croskey-Merritt can handle workhorse chores.
Rodriguez, a sixth-round pick in 2023, is a thumper on inside runs, but this year’s seventh-rounder, Croskey-Merritt, offers more explosive potential. That potential has a franchise great predicting big things for the rookie.
Hoping for the best on the ground is a gamble when there are no Pro Bowl talents. Unlike the pass attack featuring wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Terry McLaurin, along with tight end Zach Ertz.
Getting more than expected from an unheralded member of the group, including Robinson, is the only way for this Commanders backfield to be greater than the sum of its parts.
