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The "Bill" hype train is running wild. When the Washington Commanders traded running back Brian Robinson Jr. ahead of final roster cuts, it paved the way for rookie seventh-round pick Jacory "Bill" Croskey-Merritt to be Washington's lead running back in 2025.
Or so we thought.
Make no mistake, the Commanders love Croskey-Merritt. They believe he was one of the 2025 NFL draft's top steals. But fantasy analysts who are projecting him to immediately vault to the front of Washington's running back depth chart may need to slow down.
While the Commanders listed Croskey-Merritt No. 4 on their first depth chart this week, he also went second behind Austin Ekeler during running back drills on Wednesday. Croskey-Merritt himself said he is unsure of his role for Sunday's Week 1 game against the New York Giants.
Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury is among Bill's biggest fans.
“Yeah, it's been interesting," Kingsbury said Thursday of Croskey-Merritt's rise.
"He's the guy who I have a ton of respect for his journey. There's no doubt. To stay at Arizona and just rep on practice squad every day when you're in college, I wouldn't have done that. I would've got a job or done something else. I don't like football as much as he does, apparently. So, for him to do that, go to an All-Star game and then just kind of earn the reps, and he can't get enough. He wants to know about it, wants to practice, he's always trying to get to the front of the line. And so that's been really cool to see."
Then, Kingsbury added the following:
"We'll see how it all goes, but yeah, it's a big hype train for old Bill."
What exactly is Kingsbury saying? Or is he saying nothing at all? It's interesting that Kingsbury used the term "hype train" to discuss Bill's rise. Perhaps it was a message to say, "not yet" on Croskey-Merritt. Or, maybe it was some gamesmanship from Kingsbury, and Bill has a very busy Sunday against the Giants.
We'll find out on Sunday.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury discusses hype around Croskey-Merritt
Continue reading...
Or so we thought.
Make no mistake, the Commanders love Croskey-Merritt. They believe he was one of the 2025 NFL draft's top steals. But fantasy analysts who are projecting him to immediately vault to the front of Washington's running back depth chart may need to slow down.
While the Commanders listed Croskey-Merritt No. 4 on their first depth chart this week, he also went second behind Austin Ekeler during running back drills on Wednesday. Croskey-Merritt himself said he is unsure of his role for Sunday's Week 1 game against the New York Giants.
Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury is among Bill's biggest fans.
“Yeah, it's been interesting," Kingsbury said Thursday of Croskey-Merritt's rise.
"He's the guy who I have a ton of respect for his journey. There's no doubt. To stay at Arizona and just rep on practice squad every day when you're in college, I wouldn't have done that. I would've got a job or done something else. I don't like football as much as he does, apparently. So, for him to do that, go to an All-Star game and then just kind of earn the reps, and he can't get enough. He wants to know about it, wants to practice, he's always trying to get to the front of the line. And so that's been really cool to see."
Then, Kingsbury added the following:
"We'll see how it all goes, but yeah, it's a big hype train for old Bill."
What exactly is Kingsbury saying? Or is he saying nothing at all? It's interesting that Kingsbury used the term "hype train" to discuss Bill's rise. Perhaps it was a message to say, "not yet" on Croskey-Merritt. Or, maybe it was some gamesmanship from Kingsbury, and Bill has a very busy Sunday against the Giants.
We'll find out on Sunday.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury discusses hype around Croskey-Merritt
Continue reading...
