Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. has been designated to resume practice activities and could make his NFL debut this Sunday, the team announced Wednesday.
Robinson, who earned first-team All-SEC honors during his tenure at Alabama, has been recovering from non-life threatening injuries he sustained in a recent shooting.
The former Alabama star running back was the victim of an attempted robbery in crime-ridden Washington, D.C. The perpetrators shot Robinson twice in the lower extremities and fled.
The Commanders, who drafted Robinson in the third round of the 2022 NFL draft, have a 21-day window to officially activate him.
Last week, Washington head coach Ron Rivera said Robinson was showing positive signs in his recovery.
“It’s one of those very fortunate situations that that wasn’t any worse, and that’s the first major positive,” said Rivera. “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 participated in agility drills just 18 days after being shot, according to the Commanders. Days later, he began stretching exercises with the team and started riding a stationary bike.
Commanders running backs coach Randy Jordan said Friday he was impressed with how Robinson had handled his recovery.
“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,” said Jordan.
“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. 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.”
During his college career at the Capstone, Robinson rushed for 2,704 yards on 545 carries and racked up 29 touchdowns on the ground, averaging five yards per rush.
Dylan Smith is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL
