Jacory Croskey-Merritt

Croskey-Merritt mostly made good on the promise he showed last summer in training camp, where the hot-motor, big-play rookie usurped incumbent Brian Robinson by the end of August. Robinson was not a good starter, but it still speaks volumes for a seventh-round pick like Croskey-Merritt to rapidly secure the coaching staff's favor over a returning veteran starter (who subsequently was traded to San Francisco). Croskey-Merritt reliably created big plays in college at New Mexico and then Arizona, and as a rookie he proved he has the wheels to offer some of the same at the NFL level, breaking off two carries over 40 yards. The challenge for Croskey-Merritt is that he needs to round out his game to project soundly as a starter. When he can't find the big play, he too often goes down with nothing to show on the carry, bouncing around for openings that aren't always there instead of making the most of limited space and pushing the pile forward. Croskey-Merritt also needs to hold on to the ball after fumbling four times in 2025 -- a mostly unacceptable figure over only 184 touches. If Croskey-Merritt can avoid the dud plays, hold on to the ball better and earn his coaches' trust on passing downs, there's no obvious reason why he wouldn't be Washington's lead runner. The team has free-agent signing Rachaad White and Jeremy McNichols to handle passing downs, with sixth-round rookie Kaytron Allen also in the mix for a job, but Chris Rodriguez's departure to Jacksonville could free up more goal-line carries and other power rushing work for Croskey-Merritt. Read Past Outlooks