The Washington Commanders spent the offseason making a concerted effort to upgrade the offense around Jayden Daniels.
With their franchise QB in place coming off a historic rookie campaign where he helped lead Washington to the NFC Championship game, the Commanders are now considered a real contender to compete for a Super Bowl.
Last season, the Commanders had one of the top offenses in the NFL averaging 396 yards per game. They finished in the top five of the league in rushing offense, scoring offense and red zone offense while finishing 6th in third down offense converting 45.6 percent of their attempts in 2024.
As soon as the offseason began, the Commanders began making moves to upgrade the offense around Daniels and continue the momentum that OC Kliff Kingsbury and their young QB built last year.
The Washington Commanders traded for 49ers jack-of-all-trades WR Deebo Samuel and a few weeks later, shocked the entire NFL by pulling off a trade for 5-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil.
When the NFL Draft rolled around, the Commanders continued to upgrade on offense, using their first round pick to select Oregon OT Josh Conerly Jr. who is expected to start at right tackle opposite of Tunsil.
Washington added a speedy deep threat WR when they drafted Virginia Tech wideout Jaylin Lane in the fourth round and picked up a steal in the 7th round when they selected RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt.
Croskey-Merritt only played in one game for Arizona in 2024 due to eligibility issues, but in 2023, he rushed for 1,190 yards and 17 touchdowns at New Mexico.
The Commanders rookie who goes by the nickname “Bill” has emerged as one of the biggest stories during training camp. Almost every reporter believes Croskey-Merritt is a lock to make the 53-man roster, and one insider believes he will take over as Washington’s starting RB in 2025 and the team will move on from Brian Robinson Jr. before Week 1 vs. the Giants.
“I’m going to guess Brian Robinson is not on the week one roster,” Commanders insider Ben Standig said. “I have no insight into that…if Croskey-Merritt’s on this team, I just don’t know how you’re sitting him.”
Robinson has been the starting RB in Washington for the last three seasons. He has never eclipsed the 800-yard mark in a single season and has 15 touchdowns in his career so far.