Commanders BREAKING: Rookie RB Brian Robinson Jr. Among 3 Roster Moves

Washington Commanders third-round rookie running back Brian Robinson Jr. has been on the Non-Football Injury list for the last month.

Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. is one step closer to returning to the field and making his NFL debut. The team on Wednesday announced that Robinson has been designated to return to practice this week.

The third-round pick from Alabama landed on the Non-Football Injury (NFI) List after being shot in late August. It's been a wild road for Robinson, but the Commanders are following up their reveal of the plan for him.

"We will be activating him," head coach Ron Rivera said. "Our intention, we're going to start his clock basically. He is on the short term IR, we have a 21-day window and we’ll start that officially on Wednesday if everything continues to go in the right direction. He was cleared by the doctors and given the all good. We just gotta make sure once we get to Wednesday we can go through that. That way we get the 21 days from that Wednesday.”

Also on Wednesday, Washington signed tackle Christian DiLauro to the practice squad and released DB Troy Apke.

With Robinson cleared by doctors, he can practice, but he will need to be added to the main roster before he plays in a game. The Commanders want to prevent that from happening as long as possible because it will then mean the team needs to make a corresponding move, which could involve cutting a player or placing someone else on Injured Reserve. And given the unique circumstances of Robinson's injury, the Commanders are erring on the side of caution.

"We have to be smart about how we're gonna handle him," Rivera said. "We gotta handle those expectations. We also gotta handle, what he's gonna go through physically and mentally. It is a different set of circumstances. I don't know of any other player that I've coached that's had to go through this.”

Added the coach: “I think it's hopefully gonna be a nice shot in the arm. Hopefully we get what we are expecting to get, the other quality running back that we're looking for.”

Robinson's 21-day clock to return from IR begins Wednesday, and it seems like too much to expect for him to be ready for this week against Tennessee Titans. (Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at FedEx Field.) But his time is coming, and his clock is ticking.

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