Commanders Roster Battles: How Washington’s Crowded Backfield Depth Chart Shapes Up

The Washington Commanders are a team in transition, with first-time playcallers on both sides of the ball, even though new offensive coordinator David Blough was on the team last year as the assistant quarterbacks coach until Tavata Pritchard left to take over at Stanford. He was then promoted to interim quarterbacks coach on November 28. The fact that Blough worked directly with quarterback Jayden Daniels during his first two seasons further cements his candidacy for the job.

Blough's vision for the Commanders' offense appears to favor increased pre-snap movement, prioritizing quarterback protection by keeping Daniels under center frequently, and leaning more on the run game. That lays the table for running back to play a larger role in Washington's offense in 2026.

Adam Peters Injects Competition into Ashburn

Commanders General Manager Adam Peters made running back a priority this offseason after having only Jacory 'Bill' Croskey-Merritt (25) remaining on the roster at the beginning of NFL free agency. Peters signed former Tampa Bay Buccaneers speedy RB Rachaad White (27), former Cleveland Browns RB Jerome Ford (26), UDFA Robert Henry Jr. (24, out of Texas-San Antonio), and re-signed RB Jeremy McNichols (30). Peters capped that off by drafting Penn State RB Kaytron Allen (23) in the sixth round of the NFL draft, effectively expanding the competition by raising the overall talent level.

Commanders RBs
Jacory 'Bill' Croskey-Merritt
Rachaad White
Kaytron Allen
Robert Henry Jr.
Jerome Ford
Jeremy McNichols

Dan Quinn has already been vocal about what he expects out of Bill this season. With six backs in the stable, the only way to guarantee you make the roster is if you do multiple things. Blough seemed charged at the way the roster has been built when he spoke to reporters Tuesday, “we're really excited about where the room is at now. Was really pleased with the draft to get Kaytron (Allen) and Rob (Robert Henry Jr.) in the building and just kind of continue to add to the room," Blough said.

Commanders RB Roster Battle — Nov 23, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Rachaad White (1) runs with the ball with wide receiver Sterling Shepard (17) against the Los Angeles Rams during the second quarter at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

The signing with the biggest impact is, without a doubt, Rachaad White, who was a college teammate of quarterback Jayden Daniels at Arizona State. Daniels is excited to have him in the mix, "It's fun. I mean, just the player he is, and he had the opportunity to go anywhere else, and he chose here, so salute to him, and obviously I've been knowing him since I was like 19, so it is fun to kind of just get him back in the same building and build off that rapport we have,” Daniels said. Blough can't wait to see what they have when it all comes together, adding, "Rachaad has so much natural and pass-catching ability and experience."

One of my biggest takeaways today was how was 💨fast 💨 Rachaad White looked. I'm starting to get early vibes he's gonna eat in this David Blough offense pic.twitter.com/OBey0aWsDt
— Mitchell Tischler (@Mitch_Tischler) May 28, 2026

When your first-year offensive coordinator is talkative about all the backs in his room, that's a good thing. "When we just added to the room, and then getting guys back that we know (McNichols), and Jerome (Ford) has been excellent too. So we're really pleased with the running back room so far. And RBs Coach (Anthony) Lynn and (Offensive Quality Control) Coach (Jesse) Madden have done a great job .”

“Yeah, I think as, you know, hopefully as you guys see it develop, there will be, when we snap the ball, you should know if we're running it, throwing it, from all different aspects, multiple personnel groupings, and we will, you know, we'll let the chips fall from there. But we, yeah, have coaches who have done an awesome job of being intentional in building it. And I think, you know, as we go forward, hopefully you'll see the things that we harp on and emphasize come to life .”
OC David Blough on play action

What Does the Running Back Depth Chart Look Like Right Now?

Commanders RB Roster Battles — Dec 21, 2024; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions running back Kaytron Allen (13) runs the ball into the end zone for a touchdown during the second quarter against the Southern Methodist Mustangs in the first round of the College Football Playoff at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

If you held my feet to the fire and made me pick where this group might rank at this point, I would say it's near impossible to gauge before we see more of what they intend to get out of Bill and Rachaad. Both have the potential to be big-play third-down backs who can also carry the load. Throw Allen, Ford, Henry, and McNichols into the mix, and this competition is stacked. Someone worthy of a role is getting cut on this team.

By the Numbers: How the Room Stacks Up

In 17 games (7 starts), Jacory 'Bill' Croskey-Merritt has 805 yards on 175 rushed and added eight touchdowns in 2025; he also had nine catches for 68 yards. The team is hoping to get more out of Croskey-Merritt moving forward.
In 67 games (48 starts), Rachaad White has 2,656 yards on 677 carries with 14 touchdowns; he also has 205 receptions for 1,450 yards and 11 touchdowns receiving.
In 57 games (18 starts), Jerome Ford has 1,463 yards on 340 carries with seven touchdowns; he also added 107 receptions for 647 yards and five touchdowns receiving.
While at UTSA (35 games), Robert Henry Jr had 2,339 yards on 408 attempts with 27 touchdowns; he also added 58 receptions for 428 yards and three touchdowns.
In 54 games at Penn State, Kaytron Allen had 4,180 yards rushing on 769 carries and 39 touchdowns; he also added 70 receptions for 490 yards and four touchdowns receiving. Allen is now Penn State's all-time leader in yards and third in touchdowns.
Jeremy McNichols is the veteran of the bunch. In 71 career games (2 starts), he has 846 yards rushing on 189 carries with six touchdowns; he also has 518 yards on 74 catches and a touchdown receiving. (all stats via Pro-Football Reference)

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