Week 5: Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Washington Commanders

photo courtesy washington commanders

Washington Commanders running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt has been named the DC Touchdown Club Pro Football Player of the Week after the best game of his young career helped the visiting Commanders beat the Los Angeles Chargers, 27-10, on Sunday.

Selected in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft, Croskey-Merritt had made a quick impression with his hard, physical running. He earned a role in the Commanders’ rotation of running backs and grabbed the spotlight on Sunday.

Croskey-Merrit -- who goes by the nickname Bill, because as a kid he looked like the cartoon character Little Bill – carried 14 times for 111 yards and two touchdowns (all career highs) as quarterback Jayden Daniels returned and the Commanders got back in the win column.

“Obviously, I’ve got a lot of work to do, but I feel like this is just the beginning,” Croskey-Merritt said. “There is a lot more I want to show. I think I showed I can make plays when my name is called and be the best team player I can be.”

It was Croskey-Merritt’s performance in the preseason that helped persuade the team that previous starter Brian Robinson was expendable and he was traded to San Francisco. Croskey-Merritt rushed 10 times for 82 yards and one touchdown in the season opener, earning NFL Rookie of the Week honors.

A fan favorite at home games, Croskey-Merritt has come a long way in a short period of time. He played his first three seasons of college football at Alabama State, then spent one year at New Mexico. He transferred to Arizona for his final season in 2024, but was limited to just one game after questions rose after how many games he played during his redshirt season at Alabama State, which said that another player took Croskey-Merritt’s No. 21 jersey while he was sitting out.

Instead of getting a senior season to showcase himself, Croskey-Merritt had to shine in practice and hope his performance there could persuade NFL scouts to take a chance on him. With veteran Austin Ekeler out with an injury, the Commanders have rotated Croskey-Merritt, Jeremy McNichols and Chris Rodriguez Jr. as their running backs.

Croskey-Merritt lost a fumble on the opening play of the fourth quarter Sunday, but otherwise was spectacular as the Commanders erased an early 10-0 deficit and scored the game’s final 27 points.

“We’ll continue to build and see where we take it from here,” Washington Coach Dan Quinn said. But the more effective you can run it, the more play-action passes come alive.”