Commanders RB J.D. McKissic Finding His Role in Crowded Washington Backfield

McKissic is entering his third season with the Commanders.

With the Washington Commanders employing 1,000-yard rusher Antonio Gibson and third-round rookie Brian Robinson Jr., the backfield is already busy in the nation's capital.

But there is still a role for seven-year veteran J.D. McKissic.

"I'm a team player," McKissic said. "You get you baby. And I'ma be there when my number is called, that's how my job been my whole life. And my number is called, I'm ready to make the play. And that's how we all got to do."

That's a role the Arkansas State undrafted running back has adopted over the years. Not many undrafted players see a seven-year NFL career, but McKissic's mentality has led him down that path.

"And [if] my number is called, I'm ready to make the play," McKissic said. "And that's how we all got to do."

In McKissic's last game in the 2021 season, his number was called. He recorded his first multi-TD game of his career in a 17-15 win over his former team, the Seattle Seahawks. Unfortunately for McKissic, he suffered a gruesome injury that knocked him out for the rest of the season.

Facing free agency, McKissic had several options around the league and nearly signed with the Buffalo Bills, but opted to stay with the Commanders.

"Much respect to the [Bills]. You can't ask for a better organization to be chosen by," McKissic told the Washington Post back in March. "But I had unfinished business in Washington. The way we left off, I felt like we were inclining. With my injury, I had things I wanted to prove in Washington. Washington is home."

McKissic is expected to play more of a role in the receiving game than the rushing attack with Gibson and Robinson holding that fort down. But with his veteran leadership, McKissic plays a valuable role for the Commanders.