Commanders' Brian Robinson Jr. Surprising and Impressing

Brian Robinson Jr. is off to a fast start for the Washington Commanders.

Sep 15, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. (8) runs the ball during the third quarter against the New York Giants at Commanders Field. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images / Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. is beginning to break out as he emerges in his third season in the NFL.

Robinson is coming off a career-high 133 rushing yards in a Week 2 win against the New York Giants, but his continued rise hasn't surprised coach Dan Quinn.

"He may have not had as many carries early on, but neither would a lot of people who had some of the guys in the back field in front of him when he was a freshman there," Quinn said of Robinson's college experience at Alabama. "What I thought early on that showed a lot of perseverance to say, 'Hey, your time is going to come here', but when you were playing behind some of the guys that were absolutely hitting it at the highest level, I'm sure some of those standards and toughness came through that. And then coaching against him, tackling plan, how do you go about him? You gotta get down to the legs because of the physicality, seeing him step through some tackles. That's a big deal. And so it wasn't a normal tackle a lot of times with him based on his size and his strength. So, the rare competitor comes out when he gets one-on-one and sized up on somebody, you better have your tackling plan correct or he can make you look bad."

Robinson took five seasons at Alabama before finally breaking out of his shell and out of the depth chart, and that experience is coming into play with Washington. While it isn't taking as long, Robinson is clearly growing more in comfort the longer he is in the league. He is also improving his game and impressing his coach even more in the process.

"I didn't know his hands were as good as they are," Quinn said. "Just for me coaching against him, and so that's been one of the things that I've been really impressed by. I knew this guy was a rare competitor, I just knew that. But what I didn't know was that he was complete in that way in terms of running and catching and being outside and doing that too."

Robinson continues to get better for the Commanders, and at this pace, he could become one of the most important running backs in the game if he manages to keep playing at this high level.

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