Brian Robinson Jr. sits out Commanders’ loss amid unsure future

LANDOVER, Md. — Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. did not play in his club’s 31-17 preseason loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night, possibly signaling the end of his tenure with the franchise after three seasons.

Neither Robinson nor wide receiver Terry McLaurin, who isn’t practicing while seeking a contract extension, were in attendance at Northwest Stadium for the loss.

The Commanders could end up trying to trade Robinson over the next several days, one league source said. If they don’t find a suitor, Washington could end up cutting Robinson, its primary back the past three seasons.

Washington coach Dan Quinn said he and general manager Adam Peters met with Robinson on Sunday afternoon and informed the team about the decision not to play him against the Bengals. He said he wanted the team to hear the information from him first.

But Quinn declined to answer questions about Robinson’s future in Washington.

“I’ll give you an update once there’s one to share it with you,” he said.

Before the news about Robinson, one team source said that Monday’s game would feature a heavy dose of third-year running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. and rookie seventh-round pick Jacory Croskey-Merritt. Indeed, Rodriguez carried the ball six times for 62 yards with a 40-yard run on his first carry. Croskey-Merritt gained 46 yards on 11 carries and scored from 27 yards on Washington’s second series.

If and when they move on from Robinson, the Commanders would have only 10 players on the roster who were drafted before general manager Adam Peters and coach Dan Quinn were hired after the 2023 season.

Washington also has veteran Austin Ekeler in the backfield and plans to use receiver Deebo Samuel as a running back on occasion as well — the way he had been used by the San Francisco 49ers.

They also have veteran Jeremy McNichols, who has now been with 10 franchises. McNichols impressed Washington’s coaches last season when he rushed for a career-best 261 yards and four touchdowns last season, averaging 4.7 yards per carry.

“Going into training camp we thought this was a deep room,” Quinn said.

On Friday, offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury echoed that sentiment. He singled out Rodriguez, Croskey-Merritt, McNichols and even Kazmeir Allen.

The Commanders have rotated their backs throughout camp, though Robinson was typically the first back to get work. But the coaches have suggested a running-back-by-committee situation.

“All six or seven guys in there have a place in this league,” Kingsbury said recently. “They all have dynamic traits, all have things to do really well and guys when they had their opportunity have played at a high level. It’s a deep group and we just got to see how it shakes out.”

Also, before the draft, one team source said the Commanders would definitely select a running back — though it probably wouldn’t be in the early rounds. They wanted more than what they were getting from the position and Robinson.

Robinson’s journey in the NFL started with a difficult situation. The third-round pick in the 2022 draft was shot on Aug. 28, 2022, in an attempted robbery in Washington, D.C. Despite undergoing surgery on his knee because of the shooting, he returned to play 12 games and rushed for 797 yards and two touchdowns.

Robinson has rushed for 2,329 yards in 41 games with Washington since being drafted by the organization. He rushed for a career-high 799 yards and eight touchdowns last season.

He has averaged 4.1 yards per carry in his career, which ranks 40th among running backs since he entered the league. He ranked 29th in yards after first contact and his percentage of 10-yard runs (9.8) ranked 86th. But he was 17th in rushing yards per game (56.8).