Commanders' Chris Rodriguez: Shut down for final two games
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The Commanders placed Rodriguez (ankle) on injured reserve Thursday.
Washington hasn't revealed the findings from the MRI that Rodriguez underwent Tuesday, but scans on the rookie running back's right ankle evidently revealed an injury significant enough to keep him out of the final two weeks of the season. The Kentucky product logged just 14 carries through Washington's first 10 games, but he saw his role expand in the back half of the campaign and carried 10 times in both of the past two contests while lead back Brian Robinson (hamstring) was sidelined. Rodriguez delivered his best outing to date in the Commanders' 30-28 loss to the Jets this past Sunday, accruing 58 yards and two touchdowns on his 10 rushing attempts while hauling in his lone target for a seven-yard gain. Robinson returned to practice Wednesday in a limited fashion and could be back in action for this Sunday's game against the 49ers, leaving pass-catching specialist Antonio Gibson and Derrick Gore as his top backup options sans Rodriguez. With Gibson set to become a free agent this offseason and uncertain to be retained, Rodriguez could open the 2024 season as the clear No. 2 option behind Robinson after averaging a robust 4.8 yards per carry over 13 appearances as a rookie.
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Commanders' Chris Rodriguez: Not practicing
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Rodriguez (ankle) didn't practice Wednesday.
While Brian Robinson (hamstring) was sidelined for a second game in a row in this past Sunday's 30-28 loss to the Jets, Rodriguez ran for 57 yards and two touchdowns before exiting after suffering an injury of his own. The rookie sported a walking boot after the game and was scheduled for an MRI on Tuesday, making his absence from practice Wednesday the furthest thing from a surprise. Robinson, meanwhile, returned to practice as a limited participant, potentially setting the stage for him to rejoin Antonio Gibson in the backfield as quarterback Jacoby Brissett prepares for his first start of the season.
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Commanders' Chris Rodriguez: Requires MRI
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Rodriguez (ankle) will undergo an MRI on Tuesday, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.
According to John Keim of ESPN.com, Rodriguez was spotted with his right foot in a walking boot following Sunday's 30-28 loss to the Jets, so it's not especially surprising that he'll need an MRI to determine the extent of his injury. With top back Brian Robinson (hamstring) sidelined for the second game in a row Sunday, Rodriguez once again handled an expanded role, getting 10 carries for 58 yards and two touchdowns while adding one catch for seven yards over 22 offensive snaps. With the statuses of Robinson and Rodriguez both in flux for the team's Week 17 matchup with the 49ers, the Commanders are left with Antonio Gibson and Derrick Gore as their lone healthy backs at the moment.
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Commanders' Chris Rodriguez: Dealing with ankle injury
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Rodriguez suffered an ankle injury in Sunday's win over the Jets, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.
Rodriguez was spotted in a walking boot after the win, but the exact nature of his injury remains unclear. Jhabvala reports that Rodriguez "rolled his ankle" against New York. Given all of the injuries in its backfield, Washington signed Jaret Patterson to the practice squad Tuesday.
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Commanders' Chris Rodriguez Jr.: Week 17 Waiver Priority List
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Rodriguez is dealing with a foot injury after his Week 16 performance, so keep an eye on his status heading into Week 17 against San Francisco. If he's healthy and Brian Robinson Jr. (hamstring) remains out then Rodriguez could be a flex option in all leagues against the 49ers. In Week 16 at the Jets, Rodriguez had 10 carries for 58 yards and two touchdowns and one catch for 7 yards on one target. Now, if Robinson is healthy, he would be the No. 1 running back for the Commanders again in Week 17. But if both Robinson and Rodriguez are out then Antonio Gibson (72 percent rostered) would be a potential No. 2 running back in all leagues. The Washington injury report will be one to watch closely this week.
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Commanders' Chris Rodriguez: Spotted in walking boot
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Rodriguez was spotted with a boot on his right foot following Sunday's victory over the Jets, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.
Rodriguez had easily his best game as a professional in Week 16, totaling 65 yards and two scores, but it appears he injured his foot somewhere along the way. Further details were not immediately available, but Rodriguez's status will be updated again when more information is released.
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Commanders' Chris Rodriguez: Finds end zone twice against Jets
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Rodriguez carried the ball 10 times for 58 yards and two touchdowns and caught his only target for seven yards in Sunday's 30-28 loss to the Jets.
For the second straight week with Brian Robinson (hamstring) sidelined, Rodriguez split the backfield workload with Antonio Gibson nearly equally, but this time the rookie was the far more effective and productive back. Rodriguez got the Commanders on the board with a 12-yard TD run in the second quarter before punching in a one-yard score in the fourth quarter as the team nearly pulled off a comeback from a 27-7 deficit. Robinson has yet to resume practicing, and if he misses another game, Rodriguez could break out of the timeshare with Gibson in Week 17 against the 49ers.
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Commanders' Chris Rodriguez: Will get more opportunities
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Coach Ron Rivera said Friday that Rodriguez will get more opportunities out of the backfield with Brian Robinson (hamstring) ruled out for Sunday's game against the Rams, Zach Selby of the Commanders' official site reports.
Robinson left Week 13's game against the Dolphins early with the injury, and Rodriguez handled seven carries following his departure. Antonio Gibson still paced the team with 10 rushing attempts, and four of Rodriguez's seven carries came on Washington's final four snaps of a blowout loss. While Rodriguez figures to take at least some of the work that normally goes to Robinson, it's difficult to pinpoint exactly what the split between Gibson and the rookie will look like.
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Commanders' Chris Rodriguez: Helps fill in for injured Robinson
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Rodriguez took seven carries for 29 yards in a 45-15 loss to the Dolphins on Sunday.
Rodriguez played a career-high 22 percent of Washington's snaps on offense, getting some extra work due to Brian Robinson missing the second half with a hamstring injury. It still didn't amount to much until garbage time -- he got four of his carries on Washington's final four snaps -- but there will be an opportunity for role expansion ahead if Robinson isn't ready after a Week 14 bye. The Commanders have a road game against the Rams in Week 15, and they might give Rodriguez more of a look down the stretch even if Robinson ends up being fine to play post-bye.
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Commanders' Chris Rodriguez Jr.: Week 8 Waiver Priority List
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Rodriguez is still behind Brian Robinson Jr. and Antonio Gibson on the depth chart, but his role has increased in each of the past two games. The Commanders are giving Rodriguez a chance at playing time, and he led the team in rushing in Week 7 at the Giants with seven carries for 31 yards. In deeper leagues, you might want to stash Rodriguez to see what happens over the next few weeks for 1 percent of your FAB.
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Commanders' Chris Rodriguez: Takes four carries
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Rodriguez took four carries for 23 yards in Sunday's 24-16 win over the Falcons.
After missing the previous two games with an illness, Rodriguez returned and made his largest contribution of the year. Brian Robinson doesn't look to be in imminent danger of losing the starting job, but Rodriguez is at least worth tracking in deeper leagues given that neither Robinson nor Antonio Gibson has done much on the ground this year. The Commanders face the Giants in Week 7.
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Commanders' Chris Rodriguez: Off injury report
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Rodriguez (illness) was not listed on Washington's injury report Wednesday.
Rodriguez missed Washington's past two games with an illness, but it now looks like he should be good to go for Week 6. Through three games this season, he's seen just three carries for seven yards.
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Commanders' Chris Rodriguez: Won't play Thursday night
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The Commanders downgraded Rodriguez (illness) from questionable to out ahead of Thursday's game against the Bears.
Washington listed Rodriguez as a limited practice participant throughout the week while he battled the illness, and the rookie out of Kentucky ultimately didn't make enough progress as the 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff approached for the team to feel comfortable activating him for Thursday. The Commanders elevated Derrick Gore from the practice squad and could make him active for Thursday's contest as a third option out of the backfield behind Brian Robinson and Antonio Gibson.
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Commanders' Chris Rodriguez: Still limited at practice
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Rodriguez (illness) was a limited participant at practice Tuesday.
His presence at practice at all is a good sign for Rodriguez after he was too sick to play in Week 4 at Philadelphia, but his status for Thursday's game versus Chicago still looks to be up in the air. He'll probably need to practice in full Wednesday to avoid carrying an injury designation into gameday.
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Commanders' Chris Rodriguez: Back at practice
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Rodriguez (illness) was spotted practicing Tuesday, Sam Fortier of The Washington Post reports.
The rookie running back out of Kentucky missed the Commanders' Week 4 loss to Philadelphia with an illness, but it seems as if he's had enough time to move past the issue. Rodriguez recorded seven yards on three carries throughout his first three games, primarily playing on Washington's special teams unit.
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Commanders' Chris Rodriguez: Limited in practice
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Rodriguez (illness) was listed as a limited participant on Monday's practice report.
Rodriguez is still battling an illness that kept him out Sunday's loss to the Eagles and will look to be ready for the Commanders' game against the Bears on Thursday. If the rookie sixth-rounder is good to go, he still likely won't see a lot of playing time behind Brian Robinson and Antonio Gibson.
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Commanders' Chris Rodriguez: Limited by illness Wednesday
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Rodriguez (illness) was limited in Wednesday's practice.
Selected 193rd overall in this year's NFL Draft, Rodriguez has played six offensive snaps through his first three games, seeing another 54 snaps on special teams. He's rushed three times for seven scoreless yards. Derrick Gore is on the Commanders' practice squad should Rodriguez not be able to play in Week 4.
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Commanders' Chris Rodriguez: Gets three carries in debut
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Rodriguez took three carries for seven yards in Sunday's 20-16 win over Arizona.
The rookie sixth-round pick got a carry on each of his three snaps, working as a distant No. 3 back in terms of playing time but finishing with only one fewer touch than Antonio Gibson, who lost a fumble early and managed only 19 total yards. Starter Brian Robinson also didn't have a great day, averaging 3.1 YPC on his 19 carries, albeit with a receiving TD and the silver lining of a 61 percent snap share. Rodriguez isn't likely to see much work in Week 2 at Denver but should be kept in mind for the future in case Robinson and Gibson don't stay healthy or productive.
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Commanders' Chris Rodriguez: Gets spot on roster
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Rodriguez has a spot on Washington's initial 53-man roster, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
The sixth-round rookie out of Kentucky is one of three running backs, behind Brian Robinson and Antonio Gibson. While he can't match Gibson's speed and receiving skills, the 224-pound Rodriguez might be able to do a reasonable impression of Robinson in the trenches if tasked with filling in for him this year. Rodriguez had seven carries for 52 yards in Washington's final preseason game to lock down a roster spot ahead of Jonathan Williams (undisclosed) and Jaret Patterson.
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Commanders' Chris Rodriguez: Adding power to D.C. backfield
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The Commanders selected Rodriguez in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 193rd overall.
A six-foot, 217-pound running back, Rodriguez profiles as a short-yardage bruiser. He filled that role well with Kentucky, as he piled up 32 total touchdowns in four seasons. Rodriguez possesses a similar profile to that of Brian Robinson, so it's not immediately apparent what role he'll occupy for the Commanders.
