The Washington Commanders were dead last in rushing attempts in 2023. Some could point to Washington’s record (4-13) and say the Commanders were behind all the time, and that’s why they led the NFL in passing attempts and were last in rushing attempts. But that wasn’t necessarily the case.
Even when Washington was playing reasonably well in the first half of the season, there was a stubborn refusal to run the ball, even when it was working. Running back Brian Robinson Jr. was efficient when given opportunities.
Robinson returns in 2024, but he has a new offensive coordinator: Kliff Kingsbury. While Kingsbury’s No. 1 goal is the development of rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, he will commit to running the football. Kingsbury understands that part of developing a quarterback is supporting him with a running game. In addition to Robinson, the Commanders signed Austin Ekeler in the offseason, giving them a potentially outstanding 1-2 backfield punch.
How did PFF grade Robinson and all the other projected starting running backs in the NFL? Let’s find out.