Through five weeks, one of the league’s most effective rookies has been Commanders running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt — who may be better known by the simple nickname, “Bill.”
A seventh-round pick in this year’s draft, Croskey-Merritt was good enough in the offseason program, training camp, and preseason that Washington felt comfortable trading Brian Robinson to the 49ers in August. But Washington has continued to see his growth and development, giving Croskey-Merritt his first start in Week 5 against the Chargers.
Croskey-Merritt made that decision pay off with 111 yards rushing on 14 carries with two touchdowns. He also caught two passes for 39 yards.
Perhaps most impressively, he had that production with 16 touches on just 28 offensive snaps.
Head coach Dan Quinn told reporters in his Monday press conference that the Commanders elected to lean into aspects of their scheme in which Croskey-Merritt excelled, and the young running back had a strong week of practice.
“[B]ecause of that, we thought, this is some time for him to earn some more,” Quinn said, via transcript from the team. “So, I think it really came from just him improving in the system and then having a great week to go into it.”
Croskey-Merritt did have a lost fumble during the Chargers’ game, but didn’t let it affect the rest of his performance.
“It wasn’t as intentional as it sounds, but [RBs coach] Anthony [Lynn], I thought, also did a good job saying, ‘OK, like, this guy’s really going’ and even after the fumble he was discouraged and disappointed and [said], ‘Man, nope. Get back. We’re going to go fight for this thing again,’” Quinn said. “I love the way he responded.”
Though he’s had limited carries in the first five weeks, Croskey-Merritt leads the league with 6.6 yards per carry. He’s tallied 283 yards rushing with four touchdowns and caught five passes for 54 yards.
“We’ll keep digging in as we’re going to go,” Quinn said. “I think there’s a lot that he can get better. He is going to continue to work. That’s the fun part for some of these young players that you just keep going like this. And even unlike the mistakes like a fumble, you say, ‘Alright, how are you going to grow? How are you going to learn from this?’ And so, we do anticipate him growing and even getting better as it goes, but he’s got great support. I like how the line plays, the tight ends, like in that spot, there’s some real run action that’s taking place. He’s got great support here from Anthony and the other backs, so we’re just going to keep developing him.
“I’m not putting a limit or a play count on it. We’re just going to work our [tails] off to help him become the best player that he can. And that doesn’t happen in one week. But as we keep working and we keep working like we’re just not backing off on that and we think there’s a lot of upside and a high ceiling for him.”
