Former Arizona RB Has Path to Starting Role in NFL

Despite appearing in just one game with Arizona last season, Jacory "Bill" Croskey-Merritt has continued to show off his skillset in training camp with the Washington Commanders after they selected him in the seventh round this past April. It didn't take long for Croskey-Merritt to work his way into seeing first-team reps in camp with Jayden Daniels and the starters for the Commanders.

After working hard enough in the offseason to earn an invite to the East-West Shrine Bowl, where he was named the Offensive MVP, the perseverance has remained consistent for Croskey-Merritt despite being eligible to play in just one game at Arizona last season.

"I know how hard he works," Noah Fifita said during media day this year for Arizona. "I know how bad he wanted this, so it's awesome to see him living out his dream. It shows the talent that he is. I feel like he is a generational talent."

"You kind of saw him in practice and in the game he did play, how good he really was so I'm so happy for him. It also shows his resiliency and the type of person that he is. When everything hit the fan and he couldn't play, he was still at every practice and rooting us on every game. He was right there through it all. I love that dude."

It was reported by Jordan Schultz this past Sunday that Washington has reportedly been shopping starting running back Brian Robinson Jr. in a trade. It appears the starter of the past three years for the Commanders will either be moved in a trade or released prior to the start of the season that gets underway in a couple of weeks.

Sources: The #Commanders have been shopping RB Brian Robinson Jr. to teams around the NFL.

The former 3rd-round pick out of Alabama is entering the final year of his contract. pic.twitter.com/WKB21BVBZp
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) August 17, 2025

Shortly after the news of Robinson potentially being moved, it was announced that he would not play in Monday's preseason game. Mike Garafolo reported that it was a mutual decision between Robinson and the team to sit him.

As a result, Croskey-Merritt got some more run in the preseason game against the Bengals. He ran for 46 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries in the game against Cincinnati, taking full advantage of the opportunity.

Rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt goes by "Bill"

Bill just went 27 yards to the 🏠

Watch on ESPN
Stream on @NFLPlus and ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/UD9tot9Iau
— NFL (@NFL) August 19, 2025

If Robinson is either traded or released before the start of the season, it leaves veteran Austin Ekeler as well as Chris Rodriguez Jr. in the Commanders' backfield alongside Croskey-Merritt heading into the season. Rodriguez also impressed in Monday's preseason game with 62 yards on six carries.

It is likely going to be a committee in the Commanders' backfield with potentially all three of Croskey-Merritt, Ekeler and Rodriguez all playing different roles. It has been evident that the rookie out of Arizona has shown the Commanders' coaching staff enough to trust him. It's a wide-open situation that Croskey-Merritt will have the ability to completely take over at some point during the season if he can continue to impress the coaching staff.

What are your expectations for Bill as he enters his rookie season in the NFL with the Commanders? Let us know and be sure to follow us on our X account by clicking the link.