The competition in the Washington Commanders' running back room has been the talk of training camp. As the preseason comes to a close on Saturday against the Baltimore Ravens and fans speculate who will become the face of an already strong running game, Chris Rodriguez Jr. is tuning out the noise and focusing on himself.
"I'm just working harder and believing in myself," Rodriguez said after Wednesday's practice. "Last year was tough, but I'll keep working and keep grinding and hopefully things fall in my favor."
The 2023 sixth-round pick began last season on the practice squad before being elevated to the active roster due to injury concerns for running backs Brian Robinson Jr. and Austin Ekeler. Rodriguez's role in the offense was limited outside of filling in for Robinson and Ekeler. He is looking for more in his third season.
Rodriguez's prioritized building up his legs this offseason with aspirations to make Washington's 53-man roster.
"One of my main things I was working on was my speed," Rodriguez said. "I think last year I hit 20 miles per hour maybe three times throughout the whole year, and I hit that more times this year in training camp than I did almost all of last year."
Rodriguez trained with Lily Abdelmalek, Owner and Head Trainer of Dynamics of Speed + Agility (DSA) Sports Performance, at her facility in Rodriguez's home state of Georgia.
"She had me doing mat drills," Rodriguez said of his time training with Abdelmalek. "A couple of guys here actually were with her as well. But she's tough and I could see it translate onto the field as soon as I got out here."
The training paid off, and fans got their first glimpse of Rodriguez's newfound quickness in Monday night's preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Rodriguez broke through defenders during the team's first drive of the game and bolted down the sideline for 40 yards before being pushed out of bounds by Cincinnati safety Tycen Anderson. Rodriguez's explosive dash was his longest play of the game and his career, surpassing his previous career high of 25 yards against the Tennessee Titans in Week 5 of the 2024 season. The play also set up quarterback Jayden Daniels to score, taking the ball in for a 14-yard touchdown run.
Rodriguez finished the night with 62 yards for six attempts in the first half before heading to the sideline for the rest of the night, and according to data from TruMedia, Rodriguez achieved the fastest recorded speed among all offensive players for Washington that game at 20.37 mph on the play. For comparison, Rodriguez ran an unofficial time of 4.52 seconds in the 40-yard dash at his 2023 Pro Day.
Rodriguez's improved speed is a step toward his goal of securing his spot on Washington's 53-man roster. Changes to Washington's running back room have also opened more opportunity for Rodriguez, but his focus remains inward on how he can continue to improve his game.
"At the end of the day, I'm just focusing on myself and preparing for the next game," Rodriguez said.
