Getty
The Washington Commanders can replace Chris Rodriguez Jr. by selecting a power back on Day 2 of the 2026 NFL draft.
The Washington Commanders rebuilt a running back by committee approach in free agency, but there’s no obvious replacement for power back Chris Rodriguez Jr., a problem general manager Adam Peters can solve by targeting a “bowling ball” style runner on Day 2 of the 2026 NFL draft. Even if it means passing on star prospect Jeremiyah Love.
Playing the waiting game makes sense because the Commanders are one of the two “most fantasy-friendly day-two landing spots for a running back,” according to Fantasy Life’s Ian Hartitz.
The latter explained, “If they miss out on Love, a capable between-the-tackles grinder probably the priority after losing Chris Rodriguez and only adding Rachaad White/Jerome Ford on one-year nothing-burger deals. Jonah Coleman?”
The two most fantasy-friendly day-two landing spots for a running back:
-Seahawks (2.64/3.96): Emanuel Wilson only notable dude they’ve added to replace Kenneth Walker. Zach Charbonnet (ACL) is a candidate to miss some early-season action. Jadarian Price?
-Commanders (3.71):
Hartitz made a wise choice naming Coleman as a possible target for Peters in the second or third rounds. The former Washington Huskies standout has power-back qualities and a talent for short-yardage running the Commanders otherwise lack on a new-look depth chart, particularly after Rodriguez cashed in on the veteran market.
Following this strategy wouldn’t answer the need for a star RB1 the way drafting Love would, but it would leave the Commanders free to use the seventh-overall pick to choose between true difference-makers for a rebuilding defense.
Jonah Coleman Can Add What’s Missing
When Rodriguez signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars, he left the Commander without a brute-force runner. Somebody with the straight-ahead and smash-mouth style to batter defenses and win at the goal-line.
Fortunately, the Commanders don’t have to be without those qualities for long. Not when Coleman “is built like a bowling ball and runs with about as much subtlety. He isn’t a big-play threat, but is also hard to bring down quickly or cleanly, constantly finding yards after contact and turning stopped runs into successful ones,” according to Chris Pflum of SB Nation’s Big Blue View.
Coleman’s ability to bring some muscle to a pro ground game is summed up by an interesting statistical comparison with Love, the consensus top back in this class. As Nathan Jahnke of Pro Football Focus detailed, Coleman’s “4.3 yards after contact per carry are tied with Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price for the best in the class. Coleman’s is arguably more impressive, finishing with 1.3 yards before contact per carry, which were the lowest in the class. His 148 avoided tackles on carries are the most among running backs in the class.”
The ability to turn seemingly stuffed runs into positive gains ought to appeal to the Commanders. Especially if Peters and head coach Dan Quinn are unnerved by a strong warning about Love’s key stats.
Passing on Love and waiting until after Round 1 to take Coleman isn’t a risk if the Commanders are satisfied with the rest of their backfield committee.
They can feel confident about the depth chart, but new offensive coordinator David Blough would likely still appreciate a natural replacement for Rodriguez.
Chris Rodriguez a Not Insignificant Loss for Commanders
Rodriguez showed the Commanders the value of staying patient and trusting the later rounds of a draft to yield a competent NFL running back. He worked his way from 2023 sixth-round pick to a dependable bruiser who offered a credible change of pace as part of a versatile rushing attack greater than the sum of its parts.
A prime example of the value Rodriguez provided came when he rumbled in for this touchdown during a tough overtime loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 13.
This was one of the six rushing touchdowns the 224-pounder scored last season. Replacing this no-frills knack for finding the end zone won’t be easy for White, Ford, nor for 2025 rookie find Jacory Croskey-Merritt.
Coleman could be a Croskey-Merritt reboot, based on the former being “a Day 3 pick on the consensus board,” according to Marcus Mosher of Locked on Cowboys. Mosher wasn’t impressed Coleman “skipped the testing drills at both the combine and his pro days,” but the Commanders can trust their own assessment and continue their recent trend of finding value runners in the late rounds.
James Dudko covers the New York Giants, Washington Commanders, New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens for Heavy.com. He has covered the NFL and world soccer since 2011, with bylines at FanSided, Prime Time Sports Talk and Bleacher Report before joining Heavy in 2021. More about James Dudko
More Heavy on Commanders
Loading more stories