Jacory Croskey-Merritt is an American football player who occupies the position of running back for the Washington Commanders in the National Football League (NFL). Number 22, Jacory Croskey-Merritt is a professional football player who was recruited by the team from college football at Arizona University.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt is a relatively young football player who is 25 years old, five feet eleven inches tall, and weighs 208 pounds. At first, Jacory Croskey-Merritt played college football at Alabama State University but moved to the University of Arizona and became the part of the NFL Draft that has been chosen in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft by Washington.
Croskey-Merritt’s first season in the NFL was quite successful as the player managed to accumulate 805 rushing yards with eight touchdowns, having carried the ball 175 times. The second NFL season of Croskey-Merritt started in September 2026, as the player gained 63 yards and one touchdown in the game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Table of Contents
Who Is Jacory Croskey-Merritt?
Jacory Croskey-Merritt Quick Facts
| Category | Details |
| Full name | Jacory Croskey-Merritt |
| Position | Running Back |
| NFL team | Washington Commanders |
| Jersey number | #22 |
| Height | 5’11” |
| Weight | 208 lbs |
| Age | 25 |
| College | Arizona |
| Hometown | Montgomery, Alabama |
| NFL experience | 2 years |
| Draft | 2025, Round 7 |
| Current status | Active |
The list created by the Washington Commanders shows Croskey-Merritt as an active player who plays as a running back at his college, Arizona.
College Football Career of Jacory Croskey-Merritt
Before joining the NFL, Croskey-Merritt played college football at Alabama State and then Arizona.
There was some peculiar situation in the life of Croskey-Merritt concerning his college eligibility. In particular, certain statistical anomalies concerning his involvement in 2019 were related to the case of his college eligibility at Arizona.
According to the information received during the 2026 NCAA infractions case, the records of Alabama State indicated that Croskey-Merritt played four games in 2019, while according to other statistics, he played more than four games in 2019. This issue became especially important since he played at Arizona.
Eventually, it resulted in the fact that Croskey-Merritt could not participate in the remaining part of the 2024 season at Arizona. Then he took part in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt and the 2025 NFL Draft
Croskey-Merritt was chosen by the Washington Commanders in the 7th round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
There were no difficulties for him to come into the NFL, as he did not have to deal with the expectations placed on first-round running backs.
Nevertheless, it took him a short period of time to prove that being drafted in this round would not have any effect on his performance.
During the 2025 season, he played in 17 regular-season games where he had 805 rushing yards and 8 rushing touchdowns. In addition, 4.6 average yards per rush were quite sufficient for his first year.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt 2025 Stats
Thus, Croskey-Merritt turned out to be a wonderful player for the Washington team.
| 2025 Statistic | Total |
| Games | 17 |
| Starts | 7 |
| Rushing attempts | 175 |
| Rushing yards | 805 |
| Yards per carry | 4.6 |
| Long rush | 72 yards |
| Rushing touchdowns | 8 |
| Receptions | 9 |
| Receiving yards | 68 |
| Receiving touchdowns | 0 |
| Fumbles | 4 |
| Fumbles lost | 2 |
According to NFL and Commanders stats, Croskey-Merritt carried for 4.6 yards with his longest rush of 72 yards in 2025.
Why Jacory Croskey-Merritt Was Such an Important Player for Washington
Playing in 2025 made him one of the important players for the offense of his team because his coach liked his playmaking in his first year and tried to develop him as a player in order to make him a better receiver.
In their 2026 article, the Commanders stated that they were happy with his playmaking in 2025 when he managed to accumulate 805 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. Commanders wanted him to become a better receiver in order to become a better player.
It may be essential, as modern NFL running backs have to do much more than rushing.
A running back who:
- Is able to run between the tackles
- Has great playmaking abilities
- Catches passes
- Blocks well
- Participates in various types of plays
Jacory Croskey-Merritt 2026 Season
Croskey-Merritt began the 2026 season as a player who could be trusted with more responsibilities.
Nevertheless, Croskey-Merritt got injured in his lower body in training camp, thus missing the last two preseason games for Washington. He returned to practice on September 1 and finally became fit to play in Week 1.
The first appearance of Jacory Croskey-Merritt in the regular season of 2026 happened in the game with the Philadelphia Eagles on September 13.
Though the Washington team lost the game with a score of 24-22, Jacory Croskey-Merritt had considerable playing time in the backfield.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt Week 1 2026 stats
The stats of the Commanders and NFL show the following performance of Jacory Croskey-Merritt:
| Week 1 Stat | Result |
| Opponent | Philadelphia Eagles |
| Rushing attempts | 16 |
| Rushing yards | 63 |
| Average | 3.9 yards |
| Long run | 11 yards |
| Rushing touchdowns | 1 |
| Receptions | 1 |
| Receiving yards | -7 |
| Fumbles | 1 |
| Fumbles lost | 0 |
Jacory Croskey-Merritt Career NFL Stats
Through the end of Week 1 of the 2026 season, his career statistics were:
| Career Category | Total |
| Games | 18 |
| Starts | 8 |
| Rushing attempts | 191 |
| Rushing yards | 868 |
| Yards per carry | 4.5 |
| Long rush | 72 yards |
| Rushing touchdowns | 9 |
| Receptions | 10 |
| Receiving yards | 61 |
| Receiving touchdowns | 0 |
| Fumbles | 5 |
| Fumbles lost | 2 |
Playing Style of Jacory Croskey-Merritt
From the above stats, it is quite evident that Croskey-Merritt is a starting running back who can produce efficient rushing stats and has the capability of producing explosive plays as well.
His 72-yard rush in 2025 depicts that very well.
However, the Washington Redskins organization has been trying to make him a good receiver too.
The team is making sure that he becomes good at receiving as well before 2026 because his receiving skills might affect his role in the 2026 season.
Will Jacory Croskey-Merritt be Used as a Starting Running Back?
Croskey-Merritt has already proved his ability to be a starter.
In fact, he has played as a starter in 7 games out of 17 in the 2025 season, and he enters the 2026 season with the opportunity to be a starter for the team.
However, it should be noted that the backfield of Washington is not designed to rely on only one running back.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt Injury Update
An injury to the lower body of Croskey-Merritt occurred during the 2026 preseason.
The athlete did not participate in Washington’s second and third preseason games but returned to training on September 1. On September 11, there were no injuries to Croskey-Merritt before the regular-season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles.
This player took part in the Week 1 game, and this means that the preseason injury did not affect his participation in the regular-season opener.
Injuries frequently change throughout the season; thus, recent injury reports can be regarded as the most reliable information source regarding participation in upcoming games.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt Fantasy Football Outlook
Croskey-Merritt is also relevant to fantasy football managers due to his rushing production and the possibility of usage in Washington’s offensive schemes.
The player’s 2025 rookie campaign consisted of:
- 805 rushing yards
- 8 rushing touchdowns
- 4.6 yards per carry
- 175 rushing attempts
All of these numbers create a decent basis for evaluation of his fantasy football outlook.
However, fantasy football value is greatly dependent on volume.
The following factors should be considered:
- The number of rushing attempts
- Red-zone/goal-line carries
- Receiving
- Future competition among Washington running backs
- Injuries
- Game scripts
If the role of receiving will increase, his fantasy football value will increase as well because receptions give points.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt Compared with Other Washington Running Backs
Croskey-Merritt began the 2026 season along with other players like Rachaad White and others.
| Factor | Croskey-Merritt |
| Primary position | Running back |
| 2025 rushing yards | 805 |
| 2025 rushing TDs | 8 |
| 2025 yards per carry | 4.6 |
| 2026 Week 1 carries | 16 |
| 2026 Week 1 rushing yards | 63 |
| 2026 Week 1 rushing TDs | 1 |
| Receiving development | Area coaches wanted him to improve. |
What Makes Jacory Croskey-Merritt Interesting?
Here are some characteristics of Croskey-Merritt.
Seventh Round Player
Despite being selected in the seventh round, he made an amazing 805 rushing yards and scored eight touchdowns in his debut year.
Productive Rookie Player
This average of 4.6 yards per rush proves his effectiveness as a running back.
Ability to Run Long Distances
In his longest rush of 2025, he ran for 72 yards.
An Opportunity in 2026
At the start of his second year, he was given an opportunity to play more offensively.
Development of Skills
It is hoped that he can become a better receiver for the team.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt’s Career Timeline
| Year | Career Event |
| 2019 | Began college career at Alabama State |
| Later college career | Transferred to Arizona |
| 2024 | Eligibility issues affected his Arizona season |
| 2025 | Selected by Washington in Round 7 |
| 2025 | Recorded 805 rushing yards and 8 TDs as a rookie |
| 2026 preseason | Dealt with a lower-body injury |
| Sept. 1, 2026 | Returned to practice |
| Sept. 13, 2026 | Started Week 1 against Philadelphia |
| Week 1, 2026 | Rushed for 63 yards and 1 TD |
His NCAA-related history pertaining to his time at Alabama State got renewed focus in 2026 when the NCAA rendered a decision on infractions that pertained to the school.
Conclusion
Jacory Croskey-Merritt has already created an NFL story worth noting. Having begun his college days at Alabama State, then moved to Arizona and went through an eligibility dispute before finally getting picked up in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft, he soon became a very productive NFL running back.
As a rookie, he showed great promise. The year 2025 saw him amass 805 rushing yards, score eight rushing touchdowns, and have a rushing average of 4.6 yards per carry.
As a sophomore, he opened the season with another start, 63 rushing yards, and a touchdown against Philadelphia in Week 1.
What will define the future for him is what kind of role he will have within Washington’s offensive system. His ability to continue to be productive as a runner and develop as a receiver might decide how he can transition from an intriguing contributor to a consistent NFL running back.
For now, he is one of the most interesting youngsters to watch out for on the Washington Commanders’ roster.