The Washington Commanders’ season is slowly coming apart as injuries pile up, and running back Chris Rodriguez’s incident adds to an unfortunate sequence of events in DC. The back had to leave their recent game against the Detroit Lions, and many are wondering what would happen in Washington’s backfield moving forward.
Let’s examine Rodriguez’s injury news to determine its severity and whether significant changes will need to be made in the Commanders’ running back room.
When Will Commanders RB Chris Rodriguez Return to Action?
Rodriguez has been a staple in the Commanders’ running back depth this year. After minimal usage in their first six games, head coach Dan Quinn and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury started using him to the point where he’s scored three touchdowns in their last four games.
However, their Week 10 matchup against the Lions spelled disaster, as the running back took to the locker room in the second half with a shoulder injury and did not return.
Monday and Tuesday delivered no updates on his situation. However, he still has a few practice sessions left in case he hasn’t practiced this week to log a healthy status ahead of their Sunday morning contest against the Miami Dolphins.
Injuries have plagued Washington to the point where it seems unlikely that Quinn and company will return to the NFC Championship this season. Quarterback Jayden Daniels’s resurfacing injury concerns have been the most significant factor in their 3-7 record, as veteran backup Marcus Mariota has had to keep the car together on numerous occasions.
As for Rodriguez, his injury marks another setback for the running back room after Austin Ekeler’s season-ending injury at the start of the campaign. Kingsbury has since essentially run his offense on the ground games of Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Jeremy McNichols. But Washington has evidently needed more, given that it’s stuck in third in the NFC East.
Daniels’ mobility, combined with the running backs’ role in Kingsbury’s run schemes, is a core component in their attack. Their Week 11 game against the Dolphins will be another test of depth with Mariota set to fill in again for Daniels.
However, with Miami ranking 27th on PFSN’s Defense Impact metric, Kingsbury would want to capitalize on that weakness with a deep rotation of healthy running backs. The matchup, meanwhile, might not be the easiest, as head coach Mike McDaniel and his Dolphins are coming off a heavy upset over Sean McDermott’s Buffalo Bills in Week 10.