The Washington Commanders don’t have any clear answers at running back, even with the leading rushers from each of the last 2 seasons back on the roster in quarterback Jayden Daniels and running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt.
Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport thinks the answer in the backfield might come from an entirely different source in 2026 6th-round pick Kaytron Allen, who topped B/R’s list of the NFL’s “Most Overlooked” rookie running backs.
“The Commanders have already shown they will hand a large role in the backfield to a rookie,” Davenport wrote on July 16. “Last year, Jacory Croskey-Merritt went from a seventh-round pick to the lead back in the nation’s capital. This isn’t to say Allen will immediately usurp Croskey-Merritt in that role in 2026. But given his punishing running style, it would not be a surprise if Allen eventually claimed a larger share of the workload.”
Commanders Praised for Drafting ‘Fatman’ RB
While Croskey-Merritt, a 2025 7th-round pick, performed admirably and led the team with 805 rushing yards and 8 touchdowns, he did little to prove he could be a 1-man show at the position.
That’s why the Commanders have gone all-in at the position this offseason to build depth, and The Athletic listed Allen as 1 of its “favorite picks” in the entire 2026 NFL draft.
“First-rounder Sonny Styles is the star of Washington’s draft class and will undoubtedly upgrade a defense that needed a leader and playmaker like him,” The Athletic’s Nicki Jhabvala wrote. “But my favorite Commanders selection was Allen, a durable and powerful runner with good vision and one of the finest nicknames in sports. As he explained: ‘I was a fat baby and everybody in the town called me Fatman. Hopefully, I keep it going in Washington and they call me Fatman and, you know, when I score all you hear is Fatman.’ Yep, the Commanders’ rushing corps will be led by ‘Bill’ and ‘Fatman.’ Giddy up.”
Kaytron Allen: Big-Time Numbers at Penn State
Allen, 5-foot-11 and 216 pounds, was a stats-producing machine from the moment he stepped on campus at Penn State. In 4 seasons, he became the 1st player in school history to crack 4,000 career rushing yards and scored 43 total touchdowns.
NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein projected Allen as a 5th-round pick and compared him to Arizona Cardinals running back Tyler Allgeier, who rushed for over 1,000 yards as a rookie for the Atlanta Falcons in 2022.
“Allen is productive with good size and vision but below-average explosiveness,” Zierlein wrote. “He’s a fluid runner with ideal patience and a natural feel for when to cut off his blocks. He runs low to the ground with the strength to run through arm tackles and fall forward after contact. A feel for lane development allows him to fit any run scheme, but his lack of burst is likely to constrict the field and limit his ability to find explosive runs. Allen appears to lack third-down and special-teams value, but he could earn a spot as a solid backup.”
Allen is 1 of 3 new running backs added to the Commanders’ roster since the end of a disheartening 2025 season in which the franchise entered the year as Super Bowl contenders and came out the other side with a 5-12 record.
“Signing veterans Rachaad White and Jerome Ford to short-term deals in free agency hardly inspired confidence about Washington’s running game,” Heavy’s James Dudko wrote. “Nor did retaining useful veteran third-down type Jeremy McNichols. What was missing was a true workhorse. Somebody capable of carrying the ball 25 times and grinding out the tough yards in the event Croskey-Merritt is not available.”
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