Keim: Commanders ‘likely’ a RBBC situation

Reporters asked Quinn to name players who stood out and stepped up throughout the offseason. White, WR Van Jefferson and rookie WR Jaden Bradley were the three offensive players. The latter two could have a tough time achieving fantasy relevance, but White has a wide range of outcomes. The Commanders are hoping RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt can return from his soft tissue injury and prove his three-down viability. They also drafted RB Kaytron Allen. White, 27, has struggled to perform well as a rusher, but is a proven passing game contributor. Depending on how things shake out in training camp, White could have a reliable role this season.

Whether Croskey-Merritt can participate in the Commanders’ three-day mandatory minicamp, from June 16-18, is unknown. That said, Standig believes RB coach Anthony Lynn’s “positivity is notable.” Lynn thinks the team can take Croskey-Merritt’s game “to another level and get him potentially in the lead role.” To do this, Croskey-Merritt must take on more responsibility in the passing game this summer. Lynn adds that the young back’s “hands are very good, his movement skills are very good, and there’s no reason why he couldn’t win routes.” The staff is happy with its new-look backfield, but Standing writes that RBs Rachaad White, Jeremy McNichols and Jerome Ford “are not high-volume playmaking threats,” like “Bill” is, and rookie RB Allen is still getting up to speed. Once Croskey-Merritt arrives, he must prove that he can meaningfully contribute as a receiver and as a pass protector. Doing so would unlock a fantasy-friendly role.

The two-down grinder will join a Washington backfield alongside Rachaad White and Jacory Croskey-Merritt. Allen (5’11/216) was a four-star recruit with offers from every powerhouse in the country. After landing at Penn State, he immediately showed why he was so sought after coming out of high school. He ran for a pair of touchdowns against Auburn in his third career game and cleared 100 yards versus Central Michigan the next week. Allen would go on to lead the Nittany Lions in carries while competing with five-star freshman Nick Singleton for touches. That would be the case for all four of his seasons at Penn State. Allen’s outstanding career culminated in a 210-1,303-15 rushing line in 2025, making him Penn State’s all-time leading rusher. He does all the little things well as a runner, allowing plays to develop and following blockers like a seasoned pro. The biggest drawback is a lack of top-end speed or agility. Allen’s mark of 3.8 yards after contact per carry ranked just outside the top 50 backs in the country last year. The fact that he opted not to do athletic testing at the NFL Combine or his Pro Day suggests his numbers would have been underwhelming.

The signing reunites White with his college signal caller, Commanders QB Jayden Daniels. The two played together from 2020-2021 at Arizona State. White logged 42 carries and eight receptions in 2020 before blossoming into a featured dual-threat player in 2021. That season, he rushed 182 times and caught 43 passes. The Commanders will likely add another running back or two via free agency or the 2026 NFL Draft, but White can currently be viewed as the favorite to handle passing down duties and will presumably compete with second-year RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt for the lead rushing role as well. This looks like a fantasy-friendly signing for White.

He believes that something will happen in “the near future” with White. The Seahawks depth chart at running back is barren with Kenneth Walker off to the Seahawks and Zach Charbonnet injured and unlikely to start the 2026 season on the roster. White could handle the workload early while Charbonnet recovers, if the Seahawks choose him from the pool of available running backs.

It’s the first sniff of free agency buzz we’ve gotten on White, which goes to show you how few teams view him as a top-line back. However, DiRocco believes White could fit in as a great screen-pass catcher and could share the workload with incumbent Bhayshul Tuten. Gainwell could also fit into that role. Overall this is a very encouraging report for Tuten’s fantasy value, as it doesn’t seem like the Jaguars want to put a major obstacle ahead of him on the depth chart.

‘Bill’ Croskey-Merritt and restricted free agent Chris Rodriguez would stand to gain fantasy value if the Commanders focused on a more run-focused approach, as they seem like a team that has limited resources to dedicate to the running back position this offseason. It’s hard to speculate on who the Commanders could bring in to install a scheme that’s akin to what Quinn desires just based on the idea of more run-pass balance, but the search to replace Kliff Kingsbury looks destined to bring in someone with a more buttoned-up run game.

Rocketing up fantasy draft boards after the Brian Robinson trade before the season, rookie seventh-rounder “Bill” Croskey-Merritt finished the season with 175 carries for 805 yards and eight touchdowns. Croskey-Merritt was seldom-used in the passing game by the Commanders, catching just 9-of-13 targets for 68 yards on the season. He was voted as the NFL Rookie of the Week four times this season and flashed potential with a 78.3 PFF rushing grade entering Week 18, No. 20 among running backs. The 24-year-old rushed for 100 yards in Weeks 5 and 17, finishing as a top-10 PPR back in those weeks. He battled inconsistency and lost the starting job to Chris Rodriguez in the middle of the season, seeing the most usage in run-favorable game scripts. The Commanders will certainly look to add to the backfield with Croskey-Merritt the only running back under contract for next season. He won’t be a workhorse lead back but look for “Bill” to have a role as an explosive downhill runner for the Commanders next season. Croskey-Merritt should be valued as a fantasy RB3 heading into the offseason.

White was the clear second option behind Bucky Irving on Saturday, with Irving rushing 26 times as Tampa Bay pounded the rock in rainy conditions. White ended up being the more efficient runner in the regular season for Tampa Bay, but that speaks more to Irving’s injuries and struggles when on the field than anything White did. White’s a free agent in 2026 and could be a sleeper to get a starting gig somewhere, but if the Saints beat the Falcons, he’ll be Irving’s backup in a playoff game next week.

He’ll split carries with Chris Rodriguez in all likelihood against the Eagles on Sunday. Croskey-Merritt will only be an RB3 with that workload, even against a resting Eagles team.