Jacory Croskey-Merritt has been the summer's most heartwarming story. But what came next for the Washington Commanders' running back was even more important.
Flashing brilliance in a controlled training camp setting is one thing. Doing it in a typical NFL game-day environment is something else entirely.
This was the challenge facing Croskey-Merritt during the Commanders' preseason curtain raiser against the New England Patriots. Head coach Dan Quinn rested his established stars after a physical joint practice with Mike Vrabel's men earlier in the week. Considering the seventh-round pick had a lighter workload, all signs pointed to significant involvement under the Friday night lights.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt flashed promise to bolster his Commanders' roster hopes
It's the big chance Croskey-Merrit was waiting for. He was stung by the NCAA to end his college career on a sour note. Having to wait until No. 245 in the 2025 NFL Draft overall to hear his name called only added to the frustration. But it seems like the Commanders represented the best possible spot for the player to flourish.
Fans could barely contain their excitement about seeing Croskey-Merritt on an NFL field for the first time. Other running backs would get a good look, but the hype centered on one man and one man only.
And it didn't take long for this unrelenting hype train to gather speed.
Croskey-Merritt's contribution was more fleeting than expected after suffering a shoulder issue, but the signs were promising nonetheless. He displayed patience rushing the football behind a less-than-stellar offensive line. The 24 yards on the ground from seven carries is pretty pedestrian, but fans shouldn't have expected prime Clinton Portis right out of the gate.
Bill Merrit said his shoulder got checked out but everything was fine. Came down hard on. It
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) August 9, 2025
The East-West Shrine Bowl Offensive MVP also made his only target in the passing game count, gaining eight receiving yards. Anyone expecting Croskey-Merritt to burst onto the scene was out of luck, but he did nothing to quash the speculation linking him with a larger role than anticipated in 2025.
This only whetted the appetite further about what Croskey-Merritt might be capable of. He'll be a little sore in the coming days after a physical hit, but it probably felt good to get back into the action after missing so much football over the last year.
Washington will ramp things up for Croskey-Merritt over the next two games before determining his role. And the plan should be to have him as RB3 in Week 1 against the New York Giants.
That hasn't changed after his NFL debut. It only left fans wanting more.
