Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn walks up the tunnel during warm up before the NFC divisional round between Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders at Ford Field in Detroit on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025. Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Washington Commanders release running back to make room for Von Miller

Originally posted on Washington Commanders on SI
By Dustin Lewis | Last updated Jul 22, 2025 1:30 PM ET

The Washington Commanders have been one of the pleasant surprises of the offseason.

Coming off an NFC Championship appearance, Washington has made the necessary investments to be considered as a Super Bowl contender.

A few months ago, the Commanders traded for former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel and former Houston Texans left tackle Laremy Tunsil to bolster the offense.

The franchise had another trick hidden up its sleeve leading up to training camp. To begin the week, Washington officially unveiled the signing of veteran pass-rusher Von Miller. A two-time Super Bowl champion, Miller tore his ACL in 2022 and struggled after returning from the injury in 2023.

Last season, Miller was suspended for the first games of the season for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy. In 13 appearances, he totaled 17 tackles, seven tackles for loss, and six sacks.

With the Commanders sitting at 90 players on the roster, the team had to make a corresponding move to make room for Miller.

On Tuesday morning, Washington announced the release of second-year running back Michael Wiley.

Wiley joined the franchise as an undrafted free agent following the 2024 NFL Draft. He went through training camp with the Commanders and joined the practice squad after the conclusion of the preseason.

Washington brought Wiley back on a futures deal in February.

We have released RB Michael Wiley pic.twitter.com/obVJmcYCTo
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) July 22, 2025

Prior to his time at the NFL level, Wiley spent his college career at Arizona. Over his five years with the Wildcats, he rushed 336 times for 1,712 yards and 16 touchdowns while catching 123 passes for 1,150 yards and 12 more scores. Wiley participated in the 2024 Reese's Senior Bowl.

The Commanders still have seven running backs on the roster; Austin Ekeler, Brian Robinson Jr., Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Chris Rodriguez Jr., Jeremy McNichols, Demetric Felton, and Kazmeir Allen.

Ekeler and Robinson Jr. are expected to soak up the majority of snaps for Washington in 2025.