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Chris Rodriguez Jr. is in his third season with the Washington Commanders. The 25-year-old running back spent his rookie season on the 53-man roster but was released ahead of the 2024 season. Washington quickly signed Rodriguez to its practice squad, and he went on to appear in 9 games, rushing for 173 yards and two touchdowns.
Rodriguez helped seal a couple of games for the Commanders last season because he's a pure running back with great vision who doesn't leave yards on the field. This summer, Washington traded away starting running back Brian Robinson Jr., because it liked the backfield of Austin Ekeler, Rodriguez, Jeremy McNichols and rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt.
When Ekeler went down for the year in Week 2, Croskey-Merritt stepped into a more significant role and had some big games, earning NFL Rookie of the Week honors twice. However, in recent weeks, the Commanders' running game has struggled. It's tough to blame the recent struggles on a single factor, but Washington's injuries at receiver allowed defenses to load the box against the Commanders.
Croskey-Merritt has had his struggles in recent weeks. In Sunday's blowout loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Rodriguez entered the game in the second half and carried the ball 12 times for 65 yards and a touchdown against the NFL's top-ranked run defense. All were season-highs for Rodriguez.
Could we see an increased role for the third-year back against Detroit in Week 10? Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury praised Rodriguez unprompted on Thursday.
"I think all of us are pressing a little bit," Kingsbury said. "Yeah. You definitely feel that, you know, we got to take what's blocked. I thought that's one thing C-Rod did a really nice job when he came in. We got to take what's blocked and then the big plays will come, but I think as an entire offense we're pressing and we've got to just make the routine plays and allow those big plays to happen."
Rodriguez has earned more opportunities. And for an offense in search of a spark, Rodriguez may be exactly what Washington needs.
"I think, you know, you go through flows of the season and different guys kind of are called upon to do different things and every time we've asked C-Rod to step up, he's played at a high level and so he did that once again but that's an area, like I said, I think we've got to be able to get what's blocked and then when we have a chance to make a big one, we got to take advantage of that as well."
Kingsbury referenced getting what's blocked twice. Whether he intended to or not, he's sending a message. While many factors are at play for Washington's offensive regression, injuries haven't helped. Sometimes, it's too easy to blame the offensive line when the running game has issues. That's not how Kingsbury sees it. And it sounds like Rodriguez is giving the Commanders exactly what they need and will be rewarded for it, perhaps as soon as Sunday.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Kliff Kingsbury praises 3rd-year RB
Continue reading...
Rodriguez helped seal a couple of games for the Commanders last season because he's a pure running back with great vision who doesn't leave yards on the field. This summer, Washington traded away starting running back Brian Robinson Jr., because it liked the backfield of Austin Ekeler, Rodriguez, Jeremy McNichols and rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt.
When Ekeler went down for the year in Week 2, Croskey-Merritt stepped into a more significant role and had some big games, earning NFL Rookie of the Week honors twice. However, in recent weeks, the Commanders' running game has struggled. It's tough to blame the recent struggles on a single factor, but Washington's injuries at receiver allowed defenses to load the box against the Commanders.
Croskey-Merritt has had his struggles in recent weeks. In Sunday's blowout loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Rodriguez entered the game in the second half and carried the ball 12 times for 65 yards and a touchdown against the NFL's top-ranked run defense. All were season-highs for Rodriguez.
Could we see an increased role for the third-year back against Detroit in Week 10? Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury praised Rodriguez unprompted on Thursday.
"I think all of us are pressing a little bit," Kingsbury said. "Yeah. You definitely feel that, you know, we got to take what's blocked. I thought that's one thing C-Rod did a really nice job when he came in. We got to take what's blocked and then the big plays will come, but I think as an entire offense we're pressing and we've got to just make the routine plays and allow those big plays to happen."
Rodriguez has earned more opportunities. And for an offense in search of a spark, Rodriguez may be exactly what Washington needs.
"I think, you know, you go through flows of the season and different guys kind of are called upon to do different things and every time we've asked C-Rod to step up, he's played at a high level and so he did that once again but that's an area, like I said, I think we've got to be able to get what's blocked and then when we have a chance to make a big one, we got to take advantage of that as well."
Kingsbury referenced getting what's blocked twice. Whether he intended to or not, he's sending a message. While many factors are at play for Washington's offensive regression, injuries haven't helped. Sometimes, it's too easy to blame the offensive line when the running game has issues. That's not how Kingsbury sees it. And it sounds like Rodriguez is giving the Commanders exactly what they need and will be rewarded for it, perhaps as soon as Sunday.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Kliff Kingsbury praises 3rd-year RB
Continue reading...
