This week, Commanders running back Mike Sainristil has been nominated for the Pepsi Zero Rookie of the Week award for his outstanding play in the team’s Week 1 victory over the New York Giants to secure an unblemished overall and division record and a share of the division lead.
This is a great chance for Commanders fans to spread the love and show appreciation for the rookie 7th round draft pick who has been a sensation and fan favorite throughout OTAs, minicamp, training camp and preseason.
To cast
your vote for Bill this week, CLICK HERE.
By the way, unlike political elections, you are not limited in the number of times you can vote, so feel free to press that “Vote Again” button repeatedly.
Jacory “Bill” Croskey-Merritt experienced a significant NFL draft slide to the 29th pick of the seventh round in April due to an NCAA eligibility ruling that kept him out of almost his entire 2024 college season, costing him the crucial game tape expected by NFL teams for his final year. The issue stemmed from a clerical error in 2019 at Alabama State involving his jersey number, which mistakenly flagged his redshirt season as “used,” leading the NCAA to rule he had no eligibility left for 2024.
He played in only one game in 2024, though he demonstrated his ability with 106 yards and a touchdown. He then solidified his draft case by performing well at the East-West Shrine Bowl, earning Offensive MVP honors, but the lack of recent game film from his senior season kept him out of the earlier rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft
Adam Peters took advantage of the situation by selecting the running back, and when the coaches and front office saw his talent firsthand, the GM made the decision to trade away Brian Robinson, Washington’s 2023-24 starter at running back who was in the final year of his rookie contract, opening up greater opportunity for Bill Merritt.
Bill took full advantage of that opportunity. In fact, his performance against the Giants was historic.
JCM’s success in his opening game wasn’t a matter of a single flukey run inflating his stats to look gaudy.
While he did have a 42-yard run, he also had two runs in excess of 10 yards each and a 6-yard walk-in touchdown run to the right side. He did not lose yardage on any of his 10 carries in the game. He is currently 4th in rushing yards in the NFL and leads all rookies in rushing yards.
To cast your vote for Bill Merritt this week, CLICK HERE.
By the way, unlike political elections, you are not limited in the number of times you can vote, so feel free to press that “Vote Again” button repeatedly.
