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John Keim
ASHBURN, Va. — The Washington Commanders are trading running back Brian Robinson Jr. to the San Francisco 49ers for a 2026 sixth-round pick, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Robinson did not play in Washington’s preseason game Monday vs. Cincinnati, signaling the end of his relationship with the franchise. The Commanders had planned to release him if they could not find a trade partner.
Washington had been seeking to trade Robinson since earlier this month, in part because of the depth coaches say the team has at running back.
The Commanders will save $3.3 million in salary cap space thanks to this move.
In adding Robinson, the 49ers add much-needed depth at a position that has been hit hard by injury.
San Francisco has been without rookie Jordan James for most of camp, placed Patrick Taylor Jr. on injured reserve with a shoulder injury and just got backup Isaac Guerendo back from a shoulder injury of his own.
Starter Christian McCaffrey has made it through camp without issue, but Robinson should provide a power element the Niners’ backfield otherwise lacks.
Commanders coach Dan Quinn and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury boasted of their improved depth at running back this summer, signaling the potential for parting ways with Robinson.
Their intentions became clear when Robinson did not play in — nor did he attend — Monday’s preseason game vs. Cincinnati.
Washington could end up using a running back by committee approach. The Commanders’ top two backs Monday were Chris Rodriguez and rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt. Both managed long runs vs. the Bengals vs. the starting defense — Rodriguez gained 40 yards on one run; Croskey-Merritt scored from 27 yards out to cap the second series. They combined for 17 carries and 108 yards.
The Commanders also have veteran third-down back Austin Ekeler and Jeremy McNichols. “Going into training camp, we really thought this was a deep room,” Quinn said Monday night. “There would be real competition. We knew this was one of our strengths going into training camp.”
Robinson’s journey in the NFL started with a difficult situation. The third-round pick in the 2022 draft was shot on Aug. 28, 2022, in an attempted robbery in Washington, D.C. Despite undergoing surgery on his knee because of the shooting, he returned to play 12 games and rushed for 797 yards and two touchdowns.
Robinson, 26, has rushed for 2,329 yards in 41 games with Washington since being drafted by the organization. He rushed for a career-high 799 yards and eight touchdowns last season.
He has averaged 4.1 yards per carry in his career, which ranks 40th among running backs since he entered the league. He ranked 29th in yards after first contact, and his percentage of 10-yard runs (9.8) ranked 86th. But he was 17th in rushing yards per game (56.8).
Information from ESPN’s Nick Wagoner was used in this report.