Brian Robinson Jr. Reportedly Could Be Released if Commanders Can't Find Trade Suitor

Brian Robinson Jr.'s time with the Washington Commanders reportedly could be coming to an end.

The running back will not play in Monday's preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals, and ESPN's John Keim reported the NFC East team "could end up trying to trade Robinson over the next several days."

Keim also noted the Commanders may cut Robinson if they cannot find a trade partner.

This is a somewhat surprising development, as Robinson led the Commanders in carries last season and was seen as the likely starter heading into the 2025 campaign.

However, they also have plenty of depth with Austin Ekeler, Jeremy McNichols, Chris Rodriguez Jr., Jacory Croskey-Merritt and even Deebo Samuel, who is versatile enough to play from the backfield despite being a wide receiver.

"All six or seven guys in there have a place in this league," offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury said recently about the team's running back room. "They all have dynamic traits, all have things to do really well and guys when they had their opportunity have played at a high level. It's a deep group and we just got to see how it shakes out."

That doesn't sound like an offensive coordinator who was planning on just riding one or even two primary options, which makes Robinson more expendable as Washington looks to finalize its roster ahead of its Sept. 7 opener against the New York Giants.

Robinson has been with the Commanders his entire career since they selected him with a third-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft.

He tallied 187 carries for 799 yards and eight touchdowns in 14 games last season with the rushing yards and rushing touchdowns totals both career-high marks. He provided a steadying presence in the backfield as rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels became a star as the season progressed.

However, Robinson has also averaged a solid-but-unspectacular 4.1 yards per carry throughout his three seasons.

That is a fairly replaceable total, and it seems as if Washington is going to attempt to replicate it or even improve on it with more of a committee approach this season.