Washington Commanders place rookie RB Chris Rodriguez Jr. on Injured Reserve

The Washington Commanders announced the decision to place rookie running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. on Injured Reserve on Thursday ahead of their Week 17 matchup versus the San Francisco 49ers. Rodriguez moving to IR with an ankle injury officially ends his rookie season. The Commanders snagged him with a sixth-round draft pick out of Kentucky in the 2023 NFL Draft.

The move to IR comes just a few days after the running back scored his first and second career touchdowns for the Commanders against the Jets. Washington came up short, 30-28, despite the breakout performance by the rookie.

Rodriguez finished the day with 10 rushes for 58 yards, caught one pass for seven yards, and hurdled a guy just for fun. According to PFF, Rodriguez posted a grade of 84.9, the highest of any NFL rookie running back during Week 16.

In a corresponding roster move, the Commanders activated linebacker Scoota Harris from IR on Thursday. Harris was on IR with a quad injury. He now has a 21-day practice window.

Rodriguez concludes his rookie season with 51 carries, 247 yards and two touchdowns with one fumble. He also averaged a team-high 4.8 yards per carry.

Chris Rodriguez made Kentucky Football history

Chris Rodriguez ended his impressive Kentucky tenure as one of the most decorated tailbacks in the history of Wildcats football. If not for a four-game suspension to start his senior campaign, Rodriguez was on pace to surpass his predecessor, Benny Snell, as the school’s all-time leading rusher. Instead, he finished his career ranked third with 3,644 rushing yards (6.2 yards per carry) and 32 touchdowns.

Rodriguez is on the short list of many Kentucky football rushing records, but the former three-star prospect from McDonough, Ga. does stand alone with one all to himself. He had 20 100-yard rushing games, a record he set with 120 yards in his grand finale, a victory over Louisville in the Governor’s Cup. Nine of those performances came in 2021, one of the five most productive rushing seasons in school history. He capped it off with a 100-yard performance and a game-winning touchdown in the Citrus Bowl.

On3’s Nick Roush contributed to this report.