If the final few games of the 2025 regular season are truly about building for the future for the Washington Commanders, then we can take one very concrete thing from a 30-23, Week 17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
That one thing? The Commanders may have already found their answer at running back in rookie seventh round pick Jacory Croskey-Merritt, who went off for 105 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns on just 11 carries against the Cowboys, including a thrilling, 72-yard touchdown run.
Croskey-Merritt’s 72-yard touchdown run was a case of perfect timing for the Netflix broadcast team as it happened at the exact moment former Commanders NFL All-Pro running back Clinton Portis was brought onto the broadcast.
“Jacory Croskey-Merritt 72-yard TOUCHDOWN,” NFL influencer Dov Kleiman wrote on X. “The Commanders drafted a superstar.”
Neftlix’s cameras showed Portis, who joined remotely, wildly pumping his fist in the air as Croskey-Merritt ran for the score.
“I come on (the broadcast), he goes for 70!” Portis said. “I truly think this young man is special … he’s on the verge of being a big time player and I know I will be cheering for him the whole way. I think it was a steal to get him (in the seventh round).”
The Commanders, who fell to 4-12 with the loss to the Cowboys, have one regular season game remaining when they travel to face the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in Week 18.
Croskey-Merritt Exceeded Expectations in 2025
No NFL team puts much expectations on a seventh round pick. Anything they can produce is just value added.
For Croskey-Merritt, the No. 245 overall pick, that’s meant exceeding expectations to the tune of 776 rushing yards and 8 touchdowns while averaging 4.8 yards per carry in 16 games with just 6 starts.
ESPN’s Field Yates singled out Croskey-Merritt as one of his favorite picks in the draft and an instant upgrade at the position for the Commanders.
“Croskey-Merritt had a winding college path that started at Alabama State and ended at Arizona, though eligibility issues limited him to only 13 rushes for the Wildcats in 2024,” Yates wrote on April 29. “He has a very intriguing combination of size, speed and overall footwork, but he must develop his instincts and vision. He’s a moldable player for the Commanders to develop.”
Croskey-Merritt spent his first 4 years at HBCU Alabama State but only played 3 seasons because of the pandemic. He transferred to New Mexico to play in 2023, where he had a breakout season with 1,190 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns on the way to being named All-Mountain West Conference.
Croskey-Merritt transferred to Arizona for what he thought would be his final collegiate season in 2024, but played just one game over an eligibility issue.
‘Bill’ Puts Up Second 100-Yard Rushing Game
It was the second 100-yard rushing game of the season for Croskey-Merritt, who actually goes by “Bill” — he had 111 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns on 14 carries in a Week 5 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
“Jacory Croskey–Merritt has 7 rushing TD in 2025, the most by a 7th-round rookie in the last 30 seasons,” NFL Plus wrote on X following Croskey-Merritt’s first touchdown against the Cowboys.
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