The hardest decisions belong to the best rosters
A deep roster complicates the final roster cutdown to 53 players. In the early stages of a franchise rebuild, roster cuts are straightforward because the talent drop-off past the top 35 players is steep. However, when depth increases across the board, NFL front offices are forced to expose genuinely talented players to waivers.
This dilemma is evident in the offensive backfield of the 2026 Commanders. Historically, most NFL teams carry either three or four running backs on their initial 53-man roster,
depending in part on special teams value. Under general manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn, the Washington Commanders have aligned with this standard.
- In 2024, the Commanders kept four running backs on the initial roster.
- In 2025, the team did the same, starting out with Austin Ekeler, Jeremy McNichols, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, and Chris Rodriguez Jr. However, when Ekeler was lost for the season in Week 2, he was not replaced on the roster and the team went through most of the season with just three running backs.
Entering the final weeks of the 2026 preseason, locking onto a hard cap of four running backs would have a direct, cascading effect on the rest of the offense.
If Washington keeps a fourth running back, they cannot expand depth at other positions. For instance, carrying an extra back means deciding whether to risk a developmental sixth or seventh wide receiver on waivers, or to squeeze the tight-end room down to a strict trio. In effect, the decision to keep a player at one position represents a sacrificed depth piece at another like quarterback, receiver, or tight end. The Commanders may want to keep three QBs, seven WRs, four TEs and four RBs, but the math simply won’t work out, and that means that some NFL-quality skill players are going to find themselves missing out on the Commanders 53-man roster in 2026.
In this week’s Reacts survey, we asked Hogs Haven readers to focus on the running back position and decide, based on the information available to date, which of the team’s top four running backs would miss out if Adam Peters and Dan Quinn chose to keep only three on the initial roster.
The Power of Pedigree: draft capital vs. the undrafted tag
Roster battles are often talked about as if they take place in a strict meritocracy, but, in reality, draft pedigree heavily influences both front-office security and fan perception.
- Bill Croskey-Merritt enters 2026 with a year of NFL experience under his belt after being selected in the seventh round.
- Rookie Kaytron “Fatman” Allen carries the shield of a sixth-round draft choice.
- Rookie Robert Henry Jr. faces the steeper climb of an undrafted college free agent.
The recent Hogs Haven poll, which asked readers to choose one back to leave off the roster, reflects this reality:
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Henry, the UDFA rookie, at 60%, is the popular choice to miss out on a 3-man running back room, while Allen, drafted in the sixth-round back in April, would be the choice of 26% of survey respondents. This disparity may highlight a clear psychological bias toward draft investment, or it may reflect the relative skills and play style of the members of the running back room.
The first preseason game vs the Miami Dolphins
Both rookies had excellent NFL debuts last Friday night in Landover:
Kaytron Allen handled a heavy workload, rushing 23 times for 85 yards and a touchdown. It was a productive but grinding debut that averaged a modest 3.7 yards per carry.
Robert Henry Jr. had 12 carries for 75 yards and a touchdown, and delivered the game’s signature play, exploding past the defense for a 22-yard rushing touchdown.
Despite Henry having been the rookie back who generated the most excitement and greatest efficiency against Miami, it is he, Henry, and not Allen whom most survey respondents would leave off the roster.
Draft pedigree
Consider a hypothetical scenario where these two players’ draft pedigrees were perfectly reversed—Henry selected in the sixth round and Allen signed as an undrafted free agent. It feels like fan expectations entering the offseason and training camp might well have been reversed, and that the Reacts poll results might have been quite different based on last week’s preseason production against the Miami Dolphins.
Had Henry carried the sixth-round label, his explosive touchdown run would likely have been heralded as proof of a draft-day steal, and his spot on the 53-man roster might well be considered secure. Conversely, if Allen were undrafted, his 23-carry workload could have been viewed as the team simply burning camp reps on a disposable asset, with his 3.7 yards per carry being seen as the unsurprising pedestrian output of an undrafted player.
We know that fans and evaluators instinctively give drafted players a longer leash, viewing their struggles as temporary adjustment periods while assuming undrafted players have a lower absolute ceiling.
The ‘style’ argument
While draft status undoubtedly influences fan perception, a more strategic explanation for these poll results lies in rational understanding of structural roster construction and stylistic synergy.
Knowledgeable fans, as we know, look beyond raw efficiency metrics to evaluate how a player’s skill set complements the existing depth chart.
The Commanders backfield is anchored by Rachaad White and Bill Croskey-Merritt, both of whom excel as explosive, one-cut slashers tailored for outside-zone concepts. Henry Jr.’s dynamic 22-yard touchdown run showcased that exact same explosive, perimeter-oriented profile. Voting to keep Henry in a three-man running back room would give Washington a trio of outside runners, creating a highly redundant skill set in the position group. While explosive, this would leave a massive hole in the skill set of the position for Washington.
“Fatman” Allen offers a distinctly different, complementary identity. Despite his lower yards-per-carry average against Miami, Allen’s physical, low-center-of-gravity style is built for running between the tackles and grinding out tough yards against stacked boxes – something that every NFL team needs.
With the majority of Hogs Haven readers voting to keep Allen over Henry, they demonstrated a rational understanding of role optimization. They recognize that Allen provides the essential short-yardage and goal-line versatility that the roster would otherwise lack, making him a more logical puzzle piece for the final 53 than his redundant, albeit electric, counterpart.
The Mason-Brennan paradox
The survey results with respect to Robert Henry Jr. present a stark contrast – a paradox if you will — in fan sentiment. In a separate Hogs Haven survey exploring which young player generated the most “hype” following the Dolphins game, Henry dominated the field with 68% of the total vote.
The contrast between these two surveys illustrates the difference between rewarding an exciting moment and constructing a viable 53-man roster. A 22-yard touchdown run is a highly visible, electric highlight that generates organic fan excitement. It provides immediate optimism for a fan base looking for hidden gems.
However, when forced to make tough roster decisions, those same knowledgeable fans recognize the baseline floor required for the regular season. They understand that a complete NFL running back must reliably pass-protect, contribute on special teams, and sustain tough yardage down to down.
While 68% of fans enjoy the flashes of talent Henry brings to the field, 60% logically conclude that Allen is the better fit for the Commanders running back room. If the Commanders keep four running backs on the initial roster, chances are high that both rookies make the team and contribute to the ’26 season. On the other hand, if the demands of roster construction constrain the number of running backs to just 3 to open the season, a tough choice will need to be made, and Hogs Haven readers see Allen as the right choice if only one rookie running back makes the team.
Remaining preseason games
The Commanders will conclude their exhibition slate with back-to-back road tests designed to cement the final spots on the 53-man roster. Following their opening victory over the Miami Dolphins, Washington travels to face two good teams on the road:
Preseason Week 2: at Detroit Lions
- Date & Time: Saturday, August 22, 2026, at 12:00 PM ET
- Location: Ford Field | Detroit, MI
Preseason Week 3: at Baltimore Ravens
- Date & Time: Friday, August 28, 2026, at 6:00 PM ET
- Location: M&T Bank Stadium | Baltimore, MD
Navigating Injuries: The Craig Reynolds Buffer
Managing the final two preseason games requires balancing player evaluation with roster health, especially with veteran depth piece Jeremy McNichols sidelined by a quad injury and Jerome Ford having been moved to IR and lost for the season. The signing of veteran running back Craig Reynolds, who spent time with the Commanders as a UDFA in 2019, serves as a strategic buffer.
Reynolds understands the nuances of pass protection, scheme deployment and assignment-sound football. The coaching staff can use him as needed on early-down work and pass-blocking snaps in the remaining exhibition games. By absorbing many of these high-risk reps, Reynolds protects locked-in contributors from meaningless injury while still leaving adequate offensive snaps and touches for both Allen and Henry.
The rookies can focus on running scripts designed to showcase their vision, power, and explosiveness, giving the front office clean evaluation film without over-exposing them to the risk of injury — or front offices of other NFL teams who may try to steal them off waivers if the Commanders try to move either rookie to the practice squad at the end of the month.
Reynolds, meanwhile, gets a chance to work again with offensive coordinator David Blough to learn the Commanders offense and, perhaps, earn a spot on the Washington practice squad where he can provide quality insurance protection against further injuries in the running back room.
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