Commanders overlooked veteran transforming into vital presence

The Washington Commanders’ franchise always seems to have one of those undersized, tougher-than-nails running backs who play bigger than their height and weight.

They had one of the best in Larry Brown back in the 1970s. Since then — from Clarence Harmon to Chris Thompson and J.D. McKissic — this type has been one of the club’s genuine unsung heroes.

Other than Brown, they have usually been third-down, pass-catching specialists who manage to break a tackle and get a first down against unlikely odds. Jeremy McNichols is the next in that line.

A long shot for a roster spot when preseason began, the former Boise State star has already made several of the most inspirational plays of the season for the Commanders despite minimal opportunities.

He was at it again in an otherwise ugly loss to the Chicago Bears in Week 6. With less than five minutes to go and Washington nursing a two-point lead, McNichols took a short pass from Jayden Daniels and bulled his way through multiple defenders. He managed to convert an unlikely 3rd-and-13 to extend what should have been a game-sealing drive.

Jeremy McNichols has gone from afterthought to vital Commanders’ weapon

That third-down play was the fourth of five touches McNichols had in the game. Three of them went for first downs, including a fourth-down conversion late in the third quarter. This came just two plays before Luke McCaffrey’s 33-yard touchdown catch gave the Commanders their first lead of the game.

If you turn back the clock a couple of months, it didn’t seem as if the running back would be in a position to make these kinds of plays, at least not in Washington.

Early in training camp, Washington’s top three running backs were locked in place. Brian Robinson Jr. was the starter. Austin Ekeler was the third-down back. And rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt, before he became a household name as “Bill,” was the shiny new toy with whom everyone seemed enamored.

If Dan Quinn even kept a fourth running back on the roster, it seemed to many observers that he would favor the young, hard-charging former draft pick Chris Rodriguez Jr. over the definitive journeyman McNichols.

The Commanders are his 10th team since entering the league in 2017. He has appeared in 59 NFL games. When he took the field against the Carolina Panthers in Week 7 last year, it was his first and only start.

McNichols is neither big nor fast, but he has managed to stay around by being versatile and reliable.

He rarely makes mistakes. His miscue on a kickoff in the NFC Championship game last year was the only time he has fumbled in more than 200 career touches. McNichols has committed just three penalties in eight seasons. He can run, catch, block, and play special teams. But he has rarely been known as a big-time playmaker.

That perception has been changing this year. It began in Week 3, when he literally ran through multiple Las Vegas Raiders defenders on a 60-yard touchdown run that broke open a tie game and helped propel Washington to an easy win.

Last week, in Los Angeles, he was at it again. On 3rd-and-10 with Washington holding a seven-point lead midway through the third quarter, McNichols took a little swing pass out in the flat, juked one defender, and then plowed through a second one to convert yet another first down, which led to a Matt Gay field goal.

His play against the Bears was the third time this season that McNichols has run around and over multiple defenders to convert a touchdown or a first down. If anything, it was even more representative of the value he brings to the team because before running his short circle route, he got a solid chip on Montez Sweat, which helped Josh Conerly Jr. keep Daniels clean in the pocket.

That is one of the reasons Quinn and Kliff Kingsbury wanted McNichols on the team. He is Washington’s best blocking running back. Now, he seems intent on proving he is more of a complete weapon with the ball in his hands.

Croskey-Merritt had his most challenging game as a pro on Monday Night Football. He fumbled once, which probably cost the team points, and he couldn’t hold onto a poor exchange from Daniels with the game on the line. Chicago seemed intent on stopping him, and for the most part, they succeeded. Still, the Commanders realize that if they are to have success this season, they will need their seventh-round rookie to be productive.

McNichols is not about to supplant Croskey-Merritt, but it is nice to know that he can contribute a big play at a crucial moment. He has now done it three times in six games. That’s not a fluke.

That’s simply who McNichols is.