The Washington Commanders have announced that running back Brian Robinson has been designated to return to practice this week.
Rivera said last week that Robinson would be examined by doctors over the weekend to determine whether he was physically able to return to action. The results seem to have come back positive, which means Robinson could make his regular season debut against the Tennessee Titans at FedExField on Oct. 9.
Robinson, who the Commanders drafted in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft, suffered multiple gunshot wounds to his right leg in Washington, D.C., prior to the Commanders' regular season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Robinson did not suffer any significant damage to his ligaments, but the team elected to place him on the Non-Football Injury list to allow him to focus on his recovery.
The Commanders have 21 days to officially activate Robinson, per league rules. At that point, the team can either put him on the active roster or return him to the NFI list. Robinson can be activated at any time within that 21-day period.
"It's one of those very fortunate situations that that wasn't any worse, and that's the first major positive," head coach Ron Rivera said last week. "The second positive is how he's handled it, the way he's reacted to it, the way he's been getting himself back."
Robinson's injury designation ensured that he would miss the first four games of the season, and during that time, he has attacked his recovery and overcome every obstacle that the team has put in front of him. He was going through agility drills just 18 days after being shot, and shortly after that, he began stretching with his teammates and riding a stationary bike alongside Chase Young.
Running backs coach Randy Jordan’s first priority has been Robinson's health, but he has also been impressed with the way Robinson has approached his rehab after his surgery.
"He's doing everything that he can to get himself ready to play, and that's in terms of all the things that the trainers are getting him to do in terms of just working out and just getting his legs back underneath him," Jordan said Friday.
Based on the looks that we have seen from Robinson in recent weeks, the running back seems ready to go. Prior to the Commanders' game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Robinson was running routes with a sleeve on his right leg and did not seem bothered by his injury.
Assuming Robinson does play against the Titans, Jordan is excited about what he can add to the backfield.
"There's some certain things you can't teach from the running back position in terms of feeling color and feeling where he needs to cut," Jordan said. "He's got really good body balance. He's a little bit of a tweener when it comes to a thumper and being able to set a guy and make a guy miss and be able to get that hidden yardage that we always talk about."
