They unearthed a true hidden gem when they made Jacory Croskey-Merritt a seventh-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft, but the breakout running back is already at something of a crossroads headed into his second season, after the Washington Commanders added multiple new faces at his position. Croskey-Merritt still looks like RB1, but the team has been warned about the risk of putting too much faith in the 25-year-old, as well as the dangers of not letting him develop crucial aspects of his game.
The two-edged sword of how much to get Croskey-Merritt involved in this season’s running game was discussed by Danny Rouhier and Grant Paulsen on 106.7 The Fan’s “Grant & Danny Show.”
Rouhier explained why the Commanders still have some doubts about JCM carrying the load as an every-down back: “I like him. It seems like they don’t as much. And here’s my evidence for that. It basically took Chris Rodriguez getting food poisoning or like a last-minute injury for them to finally give him double-digit carries. (In) nine of his 17 games, he averaged less than four yards a pop.”
This feeling of only being turned to when the Commanders have no other credible options leaves Croskey-Merritt with a lot to prove headed into the 2026 season. Especially when he might not enjoy the same luxury now the Commanders have so many alternatives, including a “secret weapon” with a more versatile skill-set.
Fortunately, Paulsen believes there are still ample reasons to expand Croskey-Merritt’s workload rather than letting him get lost in the rotation.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt Reliance Poses Obvious Risks
Part of the problem with trusting the player also known as ‘Bill’ concerns his limited versatility. Croskey-Merritt isn’t a credible receiver out of the backfield, nor a competent pass-protector.
Although he’s targeting growth in both areas, Rouhier still pointed out how if Croskey-Merritt “cannot hold up in pass pro, people figure that out real quick one way or the other. In other words, like if you can’t throw on first down because he’s in the game and you don’t trust him, then it’s a tell and it limits what you can do with him.”
Defenses being able to read run just by Croskey-Merritt’s presence in the lineup is a tell new offensive coordinator David Blough can’t afford. He doesn’t necessarily have to when the Commanders have seemingly added a new running back for every situation this offseason.
Yet, while Rouhier laid out the risks of still letting Croskey-Merritt lead the way, Paulsen offered a note of caution about overlooking ‘Bill’s’ still untapped potential. Particularly in one key area.
Commanders Can’t Ignore Breakaway Threat
One thing Croskey-Merritt did provide as a rookie was a genuine breakaway threat on the ground. Notably, with this 72-yard touchdown run against the Dallas Cowboys on Christmas Day.
This was no fluke when JCM “ranked eighth in percentage of runs gaining 10-plus yards for backs with 150 or more carries,” according to ESPN’s John Keim. Being able to amass yardage in chunks is something the Commanders haven’t had “since Clinton Poris consistently. There’s been a lot of your plodding types. Even the really good backs like Alfred Morris, he could never do that. That was not a club he had in the bag. So I’m intrigued to see more of him, per Paulsen.
The latter doesn’t want the Commanders to keep Croskey-Merritt’s flair for the big play sidelined in favor of free-agent addition Rachaad White, who has been “a sub four- yard per carry veteran running back.”
White is an obvious threat to Croskey-Merritt because of his superior receiving skills and rapport with a franchise quarterback Jayden Daniels, briefly a college teammate at Arizona State. An additional threat comes from the established talents of former Cleveland Browns runner Jerome Ford, while this year’s sixth-round pick Kaytron Allen is a bruiser between the tackles who’s already promising big things.
The Commanders even like an undrafted speedster who could challenge Croskey-Merritt’s apparent status as the lone breakaway runner on the depth chart.
He faces being buried within a crowded competition for carries, but Croskey-Merritt still merits the Commanders’ belief as a prolific chain-mover with sudden-strike speed. It’s why reducing his role in favor of a more varied, but also likely more pedestrian snap share, is a bigger risk than letting JCM prove he can add the skills needed to stay on the field more often.
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