Jayden Daniels‘ status for Week 3 against the Las Vegas Raiders is very much in the air. However, the Washington Commanders at least will have one weapon back as they navigate through an early season plague of injuries.
Running back Jeremy McNichols practiced in full on Thursday and he is ready to go for this Saturday. This comes as great news since last week starting running back Austin Ekeler went down with an Achilles injury.
The Commanders are a very good team and their offense revolves heavily on their running game. Without Ekeler, McNichols will have the chance to get snaps and impress the coaching staff.
McNichols will be a part of the offense, but not the RB1
The RB1 now that Ekeler is sidelined is rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt. The seventh-round pick has been the story during training camps and preseason, impressing the fans and the staff, earning snaps in the process.
In fact, JCM is leading the team’s running backs department in yards per carry with an outstanding 7.1 per attempt. McNichols is averaging 6.3 and Ekeler a mere 3.1. Of course, Ekeler had way more carries than the others.
If Daniels sits, who replaces him?
The fact that Washington is going into this game with backup running backs is not as bad as the fact that they might need a backup quarterback too. The latest information points to the Commanders resting Daniels, who is nursing a knee injury, and putting Marcus Mariota under center. The Raiders could literally face Washington’s second unit.
Now, to be fair, Mariota played on three games last season and completed 34-of-44 passes for 364 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. He also ran for 92 yards and one touchdown. He is a backup that allows the Commanders to keep their mobility at QB, something highly important for them.