Commanders Trade Rumors Clash With Brian Robinson Jr. Expectation To ‘Break Out’ originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Washington Commanders’ running back Brian Robinson Jr. is entering the final year of his rookie deal, and he knows he has to put up some serious numbers to warrant sticking around beyond 2025.
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A solid contributor across his three NFL seasons, Brian has totaled at least 700 rushing yards, and last season, his eight rushing touchdowns set a career-high.
But more is needed. … and trade rumors have surfaced driven by the idea of team unhappiness with the potential of the room.
ESPN’s Mike Clay, though, has another angle as he projects B-Rob to have 937 yards and nine touchdowns from 223 attempts, all of which would be career-highs, and now The Athletic’s Jacob Robinson has picked the running back to be the franchise’s breakout player of 2025.
“The contract-year runner stood out in minicamp, where beat reporter Ben Standig cited Robinson’s health and focus,” Robinson wrote. “HC Dan Quinn echoed that sentiment: “You feel his urgency and intensity. He’s really had a good offseason.” If healthy, Washington’s lead runner could recapture his early-season form (he averaged 4.6 yards per carry through Week 9). Keep an eye on rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt, too, as he’s the only back who could unseat Robinson.”
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Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) hands the ball to Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. (8) during the first quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Northwest Stadium.© Amber Searls-Imagn Images
Would Clay’s projection mean Robinson “breaks out” this season? maybe, but we are thinking more of B-Rob having his first 1,000-yard rushing season to go with eight or nine touchdowns.
Yeah, that’ll do it.
Seen as the clear No. 1 back, with Austin Ekeler and Jacory Croskey-Merritt behind him, Robinson could use training camp to further illustrate that he is “the guy” for Kliff Kingsbury and this running game.
In a contract year, everything is ahead of Robinson to show he deserves to stick around beyond 2025, and having a breakout year would be just the tonic to achieve that.
Related: Inside Ranking Commanders’ Top Five Young Prospects for Stardom
Related: Commanders Will Ask Jayden Daniels To Improve in One Major Pocket Category
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 6, 2025, where it first appeared.