The Washington Commanders are moving on from their lead back by sending him to an NFC team in search of backfield support.
The Commanders on Friday agreed to trade running back Brian Robinson Jr. to the San Francisco 49ers pending a physical, a person with knowledge of the deal told USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the trade was not yet official.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter first reported the move.
Robinson, 26, eclipsed 700 yards rushing in each of his three seasons with the Commanders. But the team appeared to put him on the trade block last week and held him out of last week’s preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Third-year ball carrier Chris Rodriguez Jr. and seventh-round rookie Jacory ‘Bill’ Croskey-Merritt – a training camp standout – took over the bulk of the work, and both could be in line for larger roles upon Robinson’s departure. Austin Ekeler and Jeremy McNichols round out the position group.
‘Going into training camp we thought this was a deep room,’ Commanders coach Dan Quinn said after the loss to the Bengals.
The 49ers, meanwhile, add depth behind Christian McCaffrey, who appeared in just four games last season after his 2023 Offensive Player of the Year campaign. Backup Isaac Guerendo returned to practice this week after a shoulder injury sidelined him for San Francisco’s first two preseason games, while fifth-round rookie Jordan James has also been sidelined with a broken finger.