The Washington Commanders officially received good news Monday when head coach Ron Rivera revealed rookie running back Brian Robinson Jr. was medically cleared and activated from the non-football injury list.
The news was expected, and Rivera said Robinson’s three-week clock begins Wednesday when the Commanders return to practice. The 21-day clock means Washington has three weeks from the day Robinson is activated to add him to the main roster, or he is out for the remainder of the season.
Robinson was shot twice in August during an attempted robbery, and the Commanders placed him on the NFI list just before the regular season. Anyone on the NFI list must miss the first four games of the season.
Robinson will practice Wednesday and could return for Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans. However, that is far from a guarantee.
Washington’s offense has struggled badly over the past two weeks, scoring a total of 18 points. However, the running game was excellent against Dallas in Week 4, as Antonio Gibson, J.D. McKissic and Jonathan Williams combined to rush for 137 yards on 26 attempts.
Once completely healthy, Robinson figures to be Washington’s lead back with Gibson playing more of a dual role and McKissic being used on third downs and as a receiver.