Tag: BR Brian Robinson

Commanders make roster moves, bring back familiar face

The Commanders made roster moves with the health of their top running backs in mind.

Chris Rodriguez is back with the Washington Commanders.

The former Kentucky Wildcat running back, in his second season with the Commanders, was surprisingly released Saturday.

It was a surprise move because Brian Robinson had already missed three games this season. Sure enough, Robinson went down early Sunday in the loss to the Cowboys and did not return to play in the second half.

Complicating matters was fellow running back Austin Ekeler’s concussion on Sunday. This is the second time he has suffered a concussion this season. This could be rather dangerous, so the Commanders will be careful when or perhaps even if they bring him back to action this season.

So, back to Rodriquez, he and Jeremy McNichols are now the only healthy running backs on the roster. Rodriguez has carried the ball in only two games this season, including at the NY Giants, when he accumulated 11 carries and 52 rushing yards. On the other hand, McNichols has carried the ball 44 times for 217 yards, good for 4.93 yards per carry.

Michael Wiley, a rookie who played well in the preseason, is on the practice squad.

With the bye week coming in Week 14, it is possible that the Commanders could choose to sit out Robinson this week, giving him two full weeks to heal before the final four games of 2024. If they were to choose this route, the Commanders would most definitely either sign another running back or elevate Wiley to the active roster.

In two other moves Tuesday, the Commanders signed DT Viliami Fehoko Jr. to the practice squad and released G Marquis Hayes from the practice squad.

 

Quick facts from Commanders’ Week 12 loss to Cowboys

Here are several quick facts or stats from the Commanders’ Week 12 loss to Cowboys.

The Commanders produced their worst effort of the season Sunday for the first three and one-half quarters. Their last half of the final quarter was productive, but they came up short, falling to the Cowboys 34-26.

Here are some of the quick facts from the third consecutive loss for the Commanders:

  • The Cowboys had to play on a short week from Monday night, while the Commanders had not played since a Thursday night game ten days ago. Yet, it was the Commanders who looked flat, tired, slow and uninspired for 3.5 quarters.
  • The Washington offense was anemic in the first quarter, as Jayden Daniels completed two of six attempts for a mere three yards. The Commanders permitted 93 first-quarter yards to Dallas while only gaining 56.
  • The Commanders blocked a field goal attempt, blocked a punt, and recovered a fumble in the first half, yet managed to score only three points!
  • In the first half, Dallas outgained Washington 176-113 total yards, including 133-55 passing yards.
  • The Commanders trailed 10-9 after three quarters. Washington was then outscored 24-17 in the final quarter. The Commanders have now been outscored 71-34 in the final quarter of their last five games.
  • Sunday was the first kickoff return touchdown in 50 games for Dallas (vs Raiders in 2021), and today, they returned two for touchdowns. (Kayvontae Turpin 99 yards and Juanyeh Thomas 43 yards).
  • LB Frankie Luvu finished tied for the team-leading eight tackles. He also added one tackle for loss and three passes defensed.
  • The Commanders lost two running backs today (Brian Robinson and Austin Ekeler), and this was after Chris Rodriguez was released just yesterday.
  • Dallas had lost their last five consecutive games, as they were a -10 in turnovers those games. Today, they again lost the turnover margin 3-1, yet came away with a win.
  • K Austin Seibert had his first bad day for the Commanders: he entered the game having made 25 of his 27 field goal attempts. Today, he badly missed his 51-yard field goal attempt and pulled two extra-point attempts to the left.
  • Jayden Daniels surpassed 2,500 passing yards and 500 rushing yards today, joining Robert Griffin III and Cam Newton as the fastest players to reach those marks to begin an NFL career. Daniels did so in his 12th career game.
  • WR Terry McLaurin’s  86-yard touchdown reception was the longest of his career. He caught five passes for 102 receiving yards.

What did Commanders’ roster move say about Brian Robinson’s status?

What did Saturday’s roster move tell us about Brian Robinson Jr?

Saturday, the Commanders elevated running back Chris Rodriguez from the practice squad to their roster.

Why did the Commanders make the move, elevating Rodriguez?

It’s simple, really. Starting running back Brian Robinson, Jr. is ailing.

Robinson has gained 461 yards in his 101 rushing attempts, averaging 4.6 yards a carry. Six times, he has scored a rushing touchdown, and 27 times, he has moved the chains with a first down.

But Robinson is battling a hamstring issue. He has missed practice this week and was listed as questionable. So don’t be surprised if Dan Quinn and Adam Peters decide to sit Robinson and have him “inactive” against the Giants on Sunday.

If the Commanders can win over the Giants, Quinn and Peters might have a more difficult decision concerning Robinson. The next opponent on Sunday, Nov. 10, is the Steelers, followed by the Eagles (Thursday, Nov. 14). Would they play Rodriguez against the Steelers and perhaps have to sit him again against the Eagles? Or might they sit Robinson against the Steelers and play him against the Eagles?

Rodriguez played college football at Kentucky, and Washington selected him in round 6 (193 overall) of the 2023 draft. In 2023, he carried the ball 51 times for 247 yards, two touchdowns, and 12 first downs.

Michael Wiley appeared ahead of Rodriguez throughout the preseason, but again, the Commanders have chosen the more experienced Rodriquez.

Austin Ekeler and Jeremy McNichols will shoulder most of the running back load, while Rodriguez will mostly play special teams and perhaps get some running back carries. The Commanders have been careful not to overuse Ekeler when running the ball inside.

What type of start have the Bengals had in 2024?

A closer look at the Bengals’ first two games.

So, the Cincinnati Bengals are 0-2.

The Commanders (1-1) travel to Cincinnati for a MNF contest against the Bengals. It will be the first time NFL fans see Jayden Daniels in a nationally telecast game since joining the NFL.

The Bengals might be 0-2, but immediately remind yourself that their point differential is only -7. Two losses, yes, but by only 7 points.

The Bengals have played their first two games without the services and big-play potential of wide receiver Tee Higgins. This should not be overlooked, nor minimized. Higgins is a big target at 6-foot-4, 2015 pounds. In his four NFL seasons, Higgins has accumulated 257 receptions for 3,684 yards (14.3), 24 touchdowns and 185 first downs. Higgins has been sidelined by a hamstring injury suffered during the practice week before the season opener.

Averaging 5.0 yards per offensive snap, the Bengals are currently 21st in the NFL. Losing two tight games as they have, it certainly hasn’t helped that they have also lost three fumbles in the two opening games.

The possible addition of Higgins could greatly help quarterback Joe Burrow. After two games, Burrow is only averaging 200 passing yards a game, far below what he’s capable of.

Though the Bengals’ second opponent was the Chiefs, the Bengals have given up the 10th-least yards the first two weeks. They are surrendering 4.7 yards a play, which is tied for 7th best. They have also created three takeaways.

Perhaps of interest to the Commanders after Brian Robinson Jr. rushed for over 100 yards against the Giants is the fact that the Bengals are yielding 4.5 yards per rushing attempt and have surrendered 319 rushing yards, which is the seventh most in the NFL.

We could see a good dose of Robinson and Austin Ekeler. We could also see several zone-read plays, which, if the ends are crashing down to stop Robinson, could mean Jayden Daniels running the ball several times as well.

After all, running the ball keeps the clock moving and keeps the ball away from Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Mike Gesicki, and Tee Higgins.

A closer look at the Commanders opening touchdown drive

A closer look at the Commanders’ opening drive.

Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels only saw action on Washington’s first possession, Saturday, during their 20-17 loss to the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

However, with the Commanders gaining 70 yards in 11 plays, concluding with a Daniels 3-yard touchdown run, he was pulled and sat out the remainder of the contest.

The opening drive featured Brian Robinson Jr. running hard, carrying the ball five times, gaining 20 yards.

The only negative for Daniels was on second-and-6 from the 34. He may have been nervous as he badly missed Austin Ekeler, sailing it over Ekeler’s head on an attempted screen pass to the right.

On the very next play, Daniels looked deep and found Dyami Brown for 42 yards to the Jets 24. More significantly, tight end Zach Ertz told Bryan Colbert on the Commanders’ sideline that Daniels “was able to check the play at the line of scrimmage and get us in a better play.” Indeed, the call from the sideline had been for a screen pass.

However, on the play, Daniels had the Commanders in a five-wide out alignment, which necessitates an empty backfield. Meaning that Daniels knew he had to get rid of the ball quickly because there was no running back to help pick up a free pass rusher.

The coverage by Jets corner Jarrick Bernard-Converse was actually good. However, Daniels laid the ball just beyond the reach of Bernard-Converse, and the outstretched Brown made a nice catch.

On first-and-10 at the 12, Daniels hit McLaurin on a swing pass to the right. Had Jahan Dotson kept his feet better, McLaurin would have penetrated much deeper than the 9 for a small gain of three yards.

After a Nick Allegretti false start, Ekeler showed good quickness in a four-yard run to the 3. On Daniels’ touchdown run, be sure to watch on the right side, noticing the job done by tight ends John Bates and Cole Turner. Their efforts resulted in Daniels being able to jog into the end zone for the 3-yard touchdown.