Commanders' Chris Rodriguez: Shut down for final two games

The Commanders placed Rodriguez (ankle) on injured reserve Thursday.

Washington hasn't revealed the findings from the MRI that Rodriguez underwent Tuesday, but scans on the rookie running back's right ankle evidently revealed an injury significant enough to keep him out of the final two weeks of the season. The Kentucky product logged just 14 carries through Washington's first 10 games, but he saw his role expand in the back half of the campaign and carried 10 times in both of the past two contests while lead back Brian Robinson (hamstring) was sidelined. Rodriguez delivered his best outing to date in the Commanders' 30-28 loss to the Jets this past Sunday, accruing 58 yards and two touchdowns on his 10 rushing attempts while hauling in his lone target for a seven-yard gain. Robinson returned to practice Wednesday in a limited fashion and could be back in action for this Sunday's game against the 49ers, leaving pass-catching specialist Antonio Gibson and Derrick Gore as his top backup options sans Rodriguez. With Gibson set to become a free agent this offseason and uncertain to be retained, Rodriguez could open the 2024 season as the clear No. 2 option behind Robinson after averaging a robust 4.8 yards per carry over 13 appearances as a rookie.