Brian Robinson goes down with an ankle injury? Austin Ekeler has a concussion? Jayden Daniels is out with a rib injury? No worries, because the Commanders’ RB room is as deep as ever thanks to journeyman Jeremy McNichols, who has found a home in DC after not having an NFL carry over the last three seasons.
The former Titan is now at 164 yards after gaining 42 on Sunday, just 40 away from his career high, and his three touchdowns are more than he had total in 37 NFL games entering this year.
All in a day’s work for the nominal No. 3 RB who can be No. 1 anytime the Commanders call on No. 26.
“We’re having so much fun out there, with the energy of the city and the crowd rallying around us,” McNichols told Grant & Danny Monday. “Back in OTAs when we all got together, and seeing each other evolve and the coaches believe in us, we started believing in each other. Looking around you just see talent, and good guys who can just play good ball. All the pieces fit our system, and we believed when no one else believed – it was preached to us that we could go out there and beat anybody.”
Indeed, it’s a very unselfish, team-first group, and this team has already surpassed last season’s win total before Halloween.
“It’s real, and we're all just at the point where we just wanna win,” he said. “You look at a guy like Terry (McLaurin) that's been in here for a long time and has been very successful in this league, and you just see the way he works and his unselfishness and what he does on the field, you could just tell he wants to win. Him being one of our leaders and being a foundation piece here for a long time, you look at him and that says enough that a guy like that is just so unselfish. You want to rally around a guy like that, and then everybody else does the same thing. We just wanna win, any way, anytime, anywhere.”
It’s that every man up mentality that has seen guys like McNichols step in when Ekeler was concussed and Robinson was banged up, and run for 68 yards on eight carries and score twice in Arizona – and be averaging 6.6 yards per carry for the season.
Prior to Arizona, McNichols had never run for more than 51 yards in a game, had all of one career rushing TD, and had only once had even 68 yards from scrimmage. Not bad for a guy on his seventh team in eight seasons, who didn’t see the field at all in 2022 and played just 20 special teams snaps over three games last year for the Niners.
“I didn’t know (what would happen in Arizona), they just said be ready, and I think that's been it since we all got together back in April. It’s a 70-man roster, so next man up, everybody always has to be ready, and that's how we go about our business every single day,” McNichols said. “We have games every week and have to go 1-0 every week, and whoever is up, we expect them to come in and produce, and help us win in whatever their role is.
Just stay ready and know the plan for that week – that’s how we go about it from the top down. However I can help win, that’s my mindset. I don’t care how we win or what I have to do, and that type of mentality spreads.”
McNichols has been on seven teams but has had some great coaches in those locales, but that team-first culture and brotherhood is different here than it has been anywhere else – and part of that is thanks to you, the burgundy and gold faithful.
“It’s a different feel that you have here, a different appreciation that you go out there every single Sunday and just wanna win for your squad and win for the city,” McNichols said. “A big part of that is the fans coming out and just showing us love and giving us energy to wanna change this thing around. It’s a historic franchise and a lot of us know what's gone on here in the past, and being able to come change it and make it better, that’s what makes us different. It’s new life, fresh energy, it feels good. It makes you want to empty the tank every single Sunday and play hard. These fans have been through a lot, and they’re used to a winning tradition, and I think we’re headed in the right direction.”