After making a triumphant turnaround last year, the Washington Commanders came into the 2025 NFL season with a ton of expectations about possibly becoming a legitimate Super Bowl contender. However, through the first six weeks of the season, that dream hadn’t come close to becoming a reality. With injuries ravaging the roster, including one to superstar quarterback Jayden Daniels, the team had only managed to go 3-3.
After losing to the Chicago Bears in Week 6, the situation was turning truly desperate for them to have any hopes of making the playoffs, let alone going deep. A game against the Dallas Cowboys offered them the chance to get back on track against a divisional opponent. However, the first half hadn’t gone according to plan for Washington, as they found themselves trailing 27-15. To make matters worse, they got an unusually quiet night from their rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt.
What Happened to “Bill” Jacory Croskey-Merritt?
A seventh-round pick in this year’s draft, it did not take long for Croskey-Merritt to capture the imagination of the fan base. With his quirky personality, insistence on being called Bill, and undeniable talent, he had quickly carved out his role as the RB1.
Through six weeks, even as the team as a whole had failed to meet its lofty preseason expectations, Merritt was a shining bright spot on the roster. Continuously making an impact on the field, he had become one of the most reliable parts of the offense.
However, in a critical matchup against the Cowboys, the star rookie was nowhere to be found. Adding just 28 rushing yards on nine carries, he had gained negative one yard in his one reception through the year.
Immediately impactful for the Commanders, Croskey-Merritt had 82 yards in his debut outing at the professional level, solidifying his spot on the roster in an instant. Even though the next three weeks were underwhelming for him, he got back on track in Week 5.
Recording 111 rushing yards and two touchdowns against the Chargers, he followed that up with another strong showing against Chicago, when he tallied 61 yards on the ground. Against Dallas, though, he hadn’t gotten going in the first half.
With the team potentially losing Jayden Daniels to injury early in the third quarter, the onus fell on the seventh-rounder to play a bigger role on offense to lead the comeback against their divisional rivals.