Commanders RB Chris Rodriguez Jr. 'Becoming Comfortable' Despite Mounting Losses
The Washington Commanders dropped their sixth-straight game on Sunday losing to the New York Jets by a final score of 30-28.
While this one ended with a familiar result, the Commanders actually held a late lead after backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett came in and led the offense to 21 unanswered points in the second half.
It was a similar sight to what we witnessed in the final two Washington drives in a loss to the Los Angeles Rams one week prior, but there was another name helping spark the offense along with Brissett.
Washington Commanders running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. (23) celebrates a second half touchdown against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium.
Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Rookie running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. finished the game with 58 yards on 10 carries and had two touchdowns to go with them. Six of those carries, 32 yards, and one touchdown all came in the second half.
"The big thing is just becoming comfortable," Rodriguez Jr. said to Donna Hopkins of Tony McGee Pro Football Plus following his second game in a row leading the team in rushing. "When I watched myself play here it just felt like I was stiff. [Running backs coach Randy Jordan] will pull up Kentucky highlights for me and be like, 'Yo, this is who you are, you're here for a reason.'"
As a sixth-round pick in the NFL Draft Rodriguez Jr. started the season low on the list of players expected to have an immediate impact on the team. But turning on those same Kentucky Wildcats highlights from his college days we could see the potential in the young back, even as he scrapped for every snap in the NFL behind two established players like Brian Robinson Jr. and Antonio Gibson.
Robinson Jr.'s hamstring injury suffered in the pre-bye week loss to the Miami Dolphins has opened the door for the rookie, and he's taken that opportunity to showcase why he should be a part of the future plan for the Commanders, and might just be the best rookie this team drafted in 2023.
"I wasn't really paying attention to what was going on in front of me," Rodriguez Jr. said about his earlier reps this season, as he tried to get his NFL legs underneath him. "Felt like I was just trying to hit it up in there, you know. And it's different, everything's a lot faster in the NFL. You can't just hit the hole and expect it to open up."
Those lessons are important for every running back to learn, and relative to his playing time - his 24 offensive snaps on Sunday leave him three shy of 100 for the season - Rodriguez Jr. has grown exponentially.
Of course, like any good teammate, the back credited his offensive line, coaches, and fellow players for helping him forge inexperience into success. But they aren't the only ones he's sharing his personal wins with.
After scoring his first two NFL touchdowns, and with both balls in his possession, he says the first one will probably go to this father and he's hopeful he'll get his hands on many more in the coming weeks and seasons.
That hope for future success is matched by the fans who had such high hopes for their Washington franchise only to see those aspirations dashed in large part before Thanksgiving.
With two weeks left to play, Rodriguez Jr. and his teammates are clearly not quitting on themselves even as so many pine over better and better NFL Draft positioning for 2024. And in that resolve to win, the young back is providing a silver lining for those looking for a better future to cling to.
