If it were up to Brian Robinson Jr., he would have played for the Washington Commanders last weekend.
It’s still not his decision, but he is hoping to return for their next game on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers.
Robinson is trying to come back from a knee injury that kept him out and played a part in the loss to Baltimore, which ended the Commanders’ four-game win streak.
After having trouble making much progress on the ground with Austin Ekeler, Jeremy McNichols, and quarterback Jayden Daniels, having Robinson back would be a big boost in a game that Washington is expected to win.
“It’s going to be helpful to have B-Rob back — I’m looking forward to it,” Daniels said Wednesday. “Regardless if he’s here or not, we want to be able to go out there and be dominant in the run game.
But I mean, B-Rob is a special player, how he’s able to run the ball, how he’s able to break tackles and things like that. And people don’t give him a lot of credit for his hands out of the backfield in the passing game.”
Even though he missed the game against the Ravens, Robinson still leads the team with 325 rushing yards — just 3 more than Daniels — and five rushing touchdowns. He also has eight catches for 68 yards, forming a strong backfield duo with Ekeler.
“We try to complement each other the best way we can,” Robinson said. “If I need to go be physical so Austin can come in and slice guys up, then we need to try to maximize that.”
Without Robinson, the Commanders managed only 52 rushing yards against Baltimore, which is their lowest total in a game this season. Some of that was due to playing from behind and facing the NFL’s top run defense, but many factors contributed to the lack of success on the ground.
“I think what happened last game wasn’t just a personnel issue but really just executing as a whole offense,” rookie left tackle Brandon Coleman said. “From B-Rob to J-Mac, Austin, they’re all doing a great job and running really hard.
We just got to make sure to get them that gap to where they can get through there.” Coach Dan Quinn recognized that it was difficult not having Robinson available but said, “In the sake of what’s best for him first, and then for the team, it was the right call.”
Robinson understands this as well and expressed gratitude to Quinn and general manager Adam Peters for making the decision for him.
“It helped tremendously,” Robinson said. “I’m just so prideful. I’m like, ‘Man, look, I’m ready to play.’ They decided that was the best decision for what we’re trying to do, and I’m thankful for them being in my corner.”
Robinson was listed as a limited participant in practice on Wednesday but felt he was in good shape.
“I don’t want to miss a day, a second out on the field, so just being back out there feels great,” the 25-year-old Alabama product said. “I felt good today. Obviously that’s a decision coaches have got to make. I feel great. I feel more like myself again.”
