The San Francisco 49ers are coming off a big win over the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks last week to take on the Washington Commanders on Monday night at Levi's Stadium.
While the 49ers have plenty of players to worry about on the Commanders' roster, they won't have to plan for running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt, as Washington has ruled him out for the primetime battle due to a groin injury.
Croskey-Merritt, 25, played at Alabama State (2019-22), New Mexico (2023) and Arizona (2024) before the Commanders took him in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Despite the late draft status, he ran for 805 yards and eight touchdowns on 4.6 yards per attempt as a rookie.
So far this year, Croskey-Merritt hasn't been as efficient, rushing
for 239 yards and two scores on just 3.6 yards per carry.
Without Croskey-Merritt, Washington will have to rely on Rachaad White (118 yards on 4.1 yards per attempt) and Austin Ekeler (28 yards on 4.0 yards per attempt). They could also call up Craig Reynolds and/or Devin Neal from the practice squad if needed.
However, the main concern for San Francisco should still be Jayden Daniels, who has run for 203 yards and two touchdowns on 9.7 yards per attempt, while completing 60.5% of his passes for 459 yards and three touchdowns without an interception.
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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Commanders to rule out No. 1 RB vs. 49ers
