“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” is a phrase often thrown around, especially as the NFL regular season draws closer. With less than three weeks before the 2025 season kicks off in Philadelphia, teams are already taking calls on players who may not be as useful to them as once thought—or, in Cincinnati’s case, players refusing to suit up without a new deal.

Now, the Washington Commanders are reportedly shopping running back Brian Robinson Jr., their third-round pick in 2022, who famously returned after being shot in the leg just before his rookie season.

Robinson has since played in 44 games, starting in Week 5 of that same year, a feat miraculous in its own right. With Washington listening to offers, Kansas City might have a chance to see what the next chapter of his story could look like.

What Brian Robinson would add to Chiefs

The Chiefs have dramatically upgraded the talent around Patrick Mahomes and Chris Jones on both sides of the ball, particularly at wide receiver, but most fans would agree the running back room is where the roster dips. An oft-injured Isiah Pacheco, also entering the final year of his contract, an aging Kareem Hunt, a seventh-round rookie, and a wild card in Elijah Mitchell don’t exactly inspire confidence.

That’s where Robinson Jr. would be ideal. His bullish running style would mesh perfectly with Andy Reid’s vision for Isiah Pacheco and, before that, for a young Hunt. Meanwhile, Brashard Smith has shown he’s light on his feet, which is a nice fit as an end-around back that can handle passes to the outside and evading tackles rather than running through them like Pacheco and Hunt are known to do.

Robinson was touted out of Alabama for his patience in waiting for holes to open, all while being able to successfully shove his 6’1″, 228-lb frame through any defender who might be on the other side. Last year, he averaged 4.3 yards per attempt (a career high) and ran in another career-high 8 touchdowns (Pacheco never had more than seven). Compare that to the season before, when Robinson Jr. hauled in four receiving touchdowns and 10.2 yards per catch, and now it’s even easier to see the vision and the success that Reid, Matt Nagy, and Mahomes could have with a player of his caliber.

After consecutive seasons marred by injuries and questions about Kansas City’s wide receiver room, this appears to be the year that Mahomes and company are perfectly prepared in that room. On defense, the extensions of key players like George Karlaftis and Nick Bolton only show growth and stability for DC Steve Spagnuolo. The offensive line looks much improved thanks to the stellar addition of Josh Simmons at LT and plenty of depth behind him.

So the running back room is truly the only question mark left on the team. Wouldn’t it be in Kansas City’s best interest to at least call Washington and see what could bring Robinson Jr. to Arrowhead Stadium for a one-year “prove-it” season?

What about a RB1 competition?

Despite bringing two Super Bowls to Kansas City in his first two years as a starter, Pacheco’s exciting and powerful running style no longer brings cheers 24/7, but rather worry from every Chiefs Kingdom member every time he goes to the ground. After two straight seasons with serious injuries keeping him off the field, it’s not in the Chiefs’ favor to just hope and pray he can get through a full season for the first time since his rookie year.

Both Pacheco and Robinson Jr. were selected in 2022—Pacheco in the seventh and Robinson Jr. in the third—and both were selected in their respective positions for certain reasons. Obviously, Alabama is always going to outshine Rutgers in college football, but both these running backs are no longer wearing their college colors and both are entering the final year of their respective contracts.

This means that, if general manager Brett Veach pulls the trigger on Robinson Jr. by possibly trading a player like Joshua Williams or maybe even Felix Anudike-Uzomah, there could be a rare competition in the running back room entering the season.

Very often, quarterback competitions are the story of a team’s preseason—just look at Indianapolis or Atlanta these past few months—but very rarely are there high-stakes competitions at the running back position for a team as good as Kansas City is slated to be.

This could be just the boost that Pacheco needs to prove he can still be Coach Reid’s workhorse and deserving of a second contract, also possibly pushing him to play through injury to prove the point (which would be counterproductive).

On the flip side, Robinson Jr. likely felt that he had proved himself with Washington after coming back from gunshot wounds to the legs that propelled him forward for 776.3 rushing yards per season. Now he will find himself quickly trying to prove he is worth a major contract somewhere next season, which could mean boosted stats and productivity from an already balanced and productive running back.

Hunt, Mitchell, and Smith are all in the gallery watching at this point, all hoping to be labeled RB3 whenever Pacheco or Robinson Jr. would win the job. But all three backup backs still have skill sets that Reid could utilize perfectly whenever Pacheco or Robinson Jr. find themselves on the sidelines.

No matter how the depth chart might end up looking in Brazil during Week 1, with Robinson Jr. on the roster, it could change back and forth depending on which 2022 pick is playing to their fullest potential.