Remember when the various draft experts mocked the Washington Commanders for selecting Alabama running back Brian Robinson Jr., No. 98 overall, in the 2022 NFL draft?
Washington coaches knew quickly what it had in Robinson. In the first preseason games, Robinson looked like a seasoned veteran, and it was clear that he’d supplant Antonio Gibson as the team’s No. 1 ballcarrier.
Unfortunately, those plans took a hit when two teens, who were attempting rob Robinson, shot him twice in the leg just before the regular season. Remarkably, Robinson underwent surgery and visited his team shortly after. The Commanders placed him on the NFI [non-football injury] list to begin the season, which meant he’d miss the first four games.
While Gibson is talented in his own right, he’s a different type of back than Robinson. The Commanders were counting on Robinson to be a bell-cow back. Robinson returned in Week 5 to make his debut against the Tennessee Titans. In wins over the Bears and Packers in Weeks 6 and 7, Robinson gave Washington a glimpse of the type of impact he’d provide.
However, it was during a stretch that began in a Week 10 win over the Eagles where Robinson rushed for 86 yards and was featured heavily in the offense. He continued that role for the next several weeks. In a Week 15 loss to the Giants, he rushed for 89 yards on just 12 attempts. Had then-offensive coordinator Scott Turner kept going to Robinson, the Commanders may have been in action on the NFL’s super wild card weekend.
Robinson would sit out the finale, finishing his rookie season by rushing for 797 yards and three total touchdowns.
Robinson, always humble, reflected on his rookie season.
“I grew a lot,” Robinson said via Mark Inabinett of AL.com. “I can honestly say when I first kind of got back on the field, I wasn’t even close to where I was in the backend of the season physically, so it was a year where I just had a chance to grow as a professional, and I watched myself kind of develop this year on the film week in and week out and I seen myself kind of make those strides week in and week out.”
Robinson is right. He was probably never himself physically throughout the season. But he is excited to turn the page on his rookie season and looking forward to 2023.
“Going through what I had went through and coming back and being a starter and just having that role on the team, it’s something really exciting to look forward to next year,” he said.
As for the Commanders, Robinson believes they are on the verge of something special.
“I feel like we’re very close,” he said. “We say that every week, like ‘Dang, we just be that close.’ We showed ourselves last night against a team like that, we showed ourselves what we can do, we showed ourselves what kind of potential we can play to, what we can build around — just something exciting, good energy to go into the offseason with. Hopefully, guys are going to feed off of that and come back with a chip on their shoulder.”
The Commanders will never need to worry about Robinson playing with a chip on his shoulder.
If Sam Howell can prove to be Washington’s future at quarterback, the Commanders have a potentially outstanding offensive unit once they add some pieces to the offensive line in the offseason.