The Washington Commanders will be without running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt for at least the next four games.
The franchise sent him to injured reserve on Monday due to a groin injury.
Commanders coach Dan Quinn announced Saturday that the second-year running back would not travel with the team to San Francisco for Monday night’s game against the 49ers.
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Croskey-Merritt initially suffered a groin injury in training camp. It sidelined him for the final two preseason exhibitions.
“He had a re-injury of his groin. And so that’s harder, you know, on the same injury,” Quinn said after Saturday’s practice. “We’re going to work really hard to get him back. But that was the same groin injury.”
The 2025 seventh-round pick led the Commanders with 239 rushing yards and two touchdowns through their first five games.
He has lacked the explosiveness that defined his breakout rookie year. The Arizona product averaged just 3.6 yards per carry this season, a substantial drop-off from his 4.6 yards per carry in 2025.
Croskey-Merritt’s best game of the season arrived during the Oct. 11 tie against the Giants, though, with a season-best 82 yards on 11 carries, including a 33-yard score in the first quarter.
Washington’s most explosive runs have come from its quarterbacks. The Commanders recorded just 17 rushes of 10 yards or more through their first five games. Ten came from the quarterback position, including nine from signal-caller Jayden Daniels across his three starts.
“It’s part of the offense when Jayden tucks it down to run,” first-year offensive coordinator David Blough said on Friday. “We’re lucky that teams have to account for the quarterback in our run game as well. So we’ll continue to lean into that and grow it as the season progresses.”
Veterans Rachaad White, Austin Ekeler and Jeremy McNichols are expected to split the workload while Croskey-Merritt recovers. Washington signed White in free agency this offseason to spell the starting back on passing downs.
“He can make a cut and make big plays on that,” Quinn said of White. “So, having [Ekeler] back here too, his explosiveness in the passing game, that is a big deal. So having some combination of the guys, I think that’s what we’ll lean on most right now.”
The Commanders signed Ekeler earlier this month. The 31-year-old had not played since suffering a torn Achilles last September. McNichols also offers reinforcements. He is expected to make his season debut on Monday night after missing the first five games of the season with a quad injury suffered during training camp.
But Ekeler, McNichols and White feature similar skill sets. They each excel as receivers out of the backfield with the ability to deliver explosive runs outside the tackles. None of the trio shines in short yardage.
Washington lost its biggest back, sixth-round rookie Kaytron Allen, earlier this month. The Commanders waived him with the intent to return him to the practice squad, but the 0-5 Miami Dolphins signed him to their active roster.
“We’re not down on Kaytron at all; we really like Kaytron. …” General Manager Adam Peters said during an Oct. 9 appearance on “The Sports Junkies.” “But every move you make, you are trying to do whatever you can for the best of the team to win the game and have the best season possible.”
The Commanders will have plenty of time to devise a running back plan once they return from San Francisco. The team has a bye week before a Nov. 1 game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
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