The Washington Commanders have traded running back Brian Robinson Jr. to the San Francisco 49ers.
This comes as something of a mixed blessing for the New York Giants, who have been absolutely gashed by Robinson since he became Washington’s starting running back. Most notably, he ran for 133 yards on 17 carries (7.3 yards per attempt) against the Giants in Week 2 last year. While he didn’t score a touchdown, that’s cold comfort considering Washington still won the game.
Robinson passed 100 total yards in three of his five games against the Giants and eclipsed 7.0 yards per carry twice since 2022.
On that front, it’s a welcome sight to see him moved out of the division. However, the Giants haven’t seen the last of him, as they’ll play the San Francisco 49ers in Week 9 this year.
The 49ers still have Christian McCaffrey, and he’s reportedly returned to form, and adding Robinson will help take the load off of the veteran back. McCaffrey is still one of the most dynamic offensive weapons in the NFL when healthy, but staying on the field has proven difficult in recent years. San Francisco doesn’t have much depth at the position, and another veteran who also adds a power dimension could make McCaffrey even more dangerous. San Francisco has also seen their wide receiver depth disappear due to injury, so they’ll likely be forced to lean on their running game this year.
The Giants run defense has been very hit-and-miss in the preseason — literally. Their defensive line has done it’s job taking on blocks and forcing backs to find cutback lanes, but the back seven players have been inconsistent when it comes to filling rushing lanes and tackling with good form. They’ll need to do so against both McCaffrey and Robinson.
As far as Week 1 goes, Washington’s offense is in flux, with Robinson now on the other side of the country and Terry McLaurin’s situation unclear.
Austin Ekeler and Jeremy Nichols now top their unofficial depth chart, and the team will be sure to get plenty of yards after the catch from Deebo Samuel. Ekeler and Nichols are both compact backs at (roughly) 5-foot-9, 205 pounds. Third year back Chris Rodruguez Jr. is much more of a power back and could assume lead duties over the course of the year.
The loss of Robinson could make slowing the offense overall easier, but Washington wouldn’t have traded him without a succession plan in place. Ultimately, winning in Week 1 will come down to slowing Jayden Daniels. He’s a true dual threat quarterback and now likely the Commanders’ most dangerous runner.
Even closer to home, it’s notable that Robinson is in the final year of his rookie contract and has a salary cap hit of $3.618 million. Washington moving him for a sixth round pick could give a potential framework if the Giants want to explore a trade of Daniel Bellinger, who is in a similar situation.
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