Brian Robinson Jr made his NFL debut for the Washington Commanders on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans, six weeks to the day after being shot in an attempted robbery.
Robinson practiced on Wednesday and was activated off the non-football injury list on Saturday. Neither he nor coach Ron Rivera committed to Robinson playing right away.
“Right now it’s just one day at a time, continue to make positive strides and hopefully soon,” Robinson said on Wednesday.
But Robinson was medically cleared to play and has made extensive progress since being released from the hospital, which was enough for the 1-3 Commanders to get him in the lineup. The rookie running back was the last player introduced before the game, even though Antonio Gibson started.
Robinson got on the field for Washington’s second offensive series, and made a two-yard gain.
The 23-year-old was shot twice in the right leg on 28 August in Washington, and the bullet that struck his right knee missed all the bones and ligaments. The third-round pick out of Alabama was expected to be the team’s starting running back after an impressive training camp and preseason.