Is Brian Robinson Jr. playing today? Injury update for Commanders RB in Week 6

The Washington Commanders have major injury concerns ahead of Week 6 at the Baltimore Ravens. They need all hands on deck for the biggest test of their season so far. Losing one of their key players would have a negative impact on the team’s chances of pulling off another big surprise.

Brian Robinson Jr. quickly emerged as a focal point under the new regime. Kliff Kingsbury’s offensive system is much more balanced, and the former third-round pick out of Alabama benefits more than most. He came out of the gates flying, providing explosiveness, exploiting the larger gaps created by the attack line and keeping the defense honest by physically running between tackles.

Robinson barely played in Washington’s convincing win over the Cleveland Browns. He only had to be worn seven times, which was due to a knee injury. Commanders are erring on the side of caution and want the problem not to get worse to keep the backfield force fit and ready to fire in the second half of 2024.

The player did not take part in training this week leading up to the clash. Robinson didn’t play at all and was listed as questionable for the mouth-watering Week 6 game at M&T Bank Stadium. Head coach Dan Quinn said they would wait until the last second before making any news official one way or another, but that would be a significant loss for the Commanders considering how important he is to the team’s overall strategy .

As it turned out, the commanders made their decision regarding Robinson much earlier. They downgraded him to out on Saturday, leaving them without one of their key offensive weapons in the crucial matchup against the AFC North title favorites.

Washington signed former sixth-round pick Chris Rodriguez Jr. from the practice squad as an insurance policy, but one would expect Austin Ekeler to carry a heavy load against the league’s most productive run defense without Robinson. The veteran free agent signing has only racked up 19 appearances this season as the Commanders use him situationally and more often in the passing game. That should change in week 6.

Jeremy McNichols is another who will be given additional duties. Option #3 has performed well over the past two weeks despite limited participation. That’s a whole different challenge, but he has a strong offensive line to work behind and looks explosive when his number is called.

Not having Robinson isn’t ideal. However, the commanders have good position depth. This will serve them well as they pursue another potentially shocking triumph that would send the entire NFL into a frenzy.

More Commanders news and analysis