The Commanders were cautious with Croskey-Merritt in the 10 days between their first two preseason games. He suffered a shoulder injury during the Patriots game, which led to him wearing a black “non-contact” jersey in subsequent practices. Quinn confirmed before the game that Croskey-Merritt was “ready to roll” for the Bengals game and that the caution was “more me than anyone else.”

The caution paid off, because Croskey-Merritt looked healthy as he ran past the Bengals’ defense untouched for the score. He jumped into the stands to celebrate his first career touchdown.

“Once I saw daylight, I was like, it’s finally real,” Croskey-Merritt said. “So, that moment felt amazing.”

Croskey-Merritt had plans to keep the ball before the game began, but as he ran to the sideline, he realized that he had forgotten to grab it through all the excitement. Luckily for him, quarterback Jayden Daniels was there to help him out and jogged onto the field to collect that ball from the referees.

“It was his first one, and I know he was super excited about it,” Daniels said. “And I blame other people that are on the field at that time. They’re supposed to grab the ball for him … I still remember mine last year when Zach [Ertz] and Terry [McLaurin] made sure I got my ball. So, had to return the favor.”

The attention Croskey-Merritt has gotten from fans has now spread across the NFL. He’s become a popular fantasy “sleeper” pick, although he doesn’t want to pay much attention to that. What he and the Commanders care most about is his place in the Commanders’ running back room, which could look drastically different. Brian Robinson did not participate in the Bengals game and was excused from Wednesday’s practice. Chris Rodriguez, who was moved on and off the active roster last season, may have earned a spot this year with his 40-yard run in the first quarter.

The answer to that question remains unclear, as Quinn said after the Bengals game that the Commanders are still learning about how to best use Croskey-Merritt. However, it seems clear that, like everyone else, they want to see more of him.