Where are Commanders 'triplets' ranked among the NFL's best?

[ASFN Admin]

The Washington Commanders had a top-five offense in 2025. With quarterback Jayden Daniels now entering the second season of his NFL career, offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury returning for another season and the additions of offensive tackles Laremy Tunsil and Josh Conerly Jr., and wide receiver Deebo Samuel, the offense should be elite again.

Daniels had arguably the greatest rookie season in NFL history. He led the Commanders to their best season in 33 years. He should be even better in 2025. Recently, Washington took care of star wide receiver Terry McLaurin, signing him to a three-year extension after he scored a career-high 13 touchdowns last season. He added three more in the playoffs.

But where will Washington's running game come from? Daniels led the team with 891 rushing yards last season. Brian Robinson Jr. led all running backs, but he was recently traded. The Commanders will carry four running backs on the 53-man roster: Austin Ekeler, Chris Rodriguez, Jeremy McNichols and rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt.

Ekeler is Washington's pass-catching/third-down back, while Rodriguez could handle short-yardage and goal-line situations in 2025. Keep an eye on Croskey-Merritt, though. The Commanders love the seventh-round rookie.

NFL.com recently ranked every team's "triplets" ahead of the 2025 season. It named Daniels, Croskey-Merritt and McLaurin as Washington's triplets. They came in at No. 12.

Who is Jacory Croskey-Merritt? Well, the first thing you should know is that the seventh-round rookie prefers to go by “Bill,” a nickname with roots in a cartoon character. Secondly, his college career spanned across three different schools -- Alabama State, New Mexico and Arizona -- but a bizarre NCAA eligibility issue limited him to only one game last year, helping explain why he remained available for the Commanders to draft at No. 245 overall. Most importantly for this exercise, the physical rusher made an immediate impression on Dan Quinn and Co. Following Washington’s trade of Brian Robinson Jr. to San Francisco, it really feels like Bill could take on a majority share of the early-down duties as the season progresses, with Austin Ekeler serving as the Commanders’ primary receiving back.

We could make the case that Daniels, Ekeler, and McLaurin should be Washington's triplets. If you count the quarterback and his top two weapons, it would be Daniels, McLaurin, and tight end Zach Ertz. Croskey-Merritt may not start the season as Washington's primary ball-carrier, but he could finish the season there.

This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Commanders 'triplets' ranked among top half of the NFL

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