The Commander was cautious about Croskey-Merritt in the 10 days between the first two preseason games. He suffered a shoulder injury during the Patriots game, which led to him wearing a black “contactless” jersey during subsequent practices. Quinn confirmed before the game that Croskey-Merritt was ready to play in the Bengals and the warning was “I have more than anyone else”.
The cautious attitude paid off as Croskey-Merritt crossed the Bengal defense, but he was not affected by the score. He jumped into the stands to celebrate his first professional touchdown.
“Once I saw the sunlight, I thought, it was finally real,” Croskey-Merritt said. “So, that moment felt great.”
Croskey-Merritt plans to keep the ball before the game starts, but when he runs to the sidelines, he realizes he forgets to grab all the excitement. Fortunately for him, quarterback Jayden Daniels was there to help him out, jog into the field, collecting the ball from the referee.
“This is his first one, and I know he's very excited about it,” Daniels said. “I blame the others at the time. [Ertz] And Terry [McLaurin] Make sure I got my ball. Therefore, favor must be rewarded. ”
The attention Croskey-Merritt has received from fans is now scattered in the NFL. Although he doesn't want to do it, he's already a popular fantasy “sleeper” draft pick. What he and the commander are most concerned about is his position in the commander's running room, which may look very different. Brian Robinson did not compete in the Bengals and was forgiven from Wednesday's practice. Chris Rodriguez, who was moved from an active roster last season, may win a spot in the 40-yard running position in the first quarter this year.
The answer to this question is unclear, and as Quinn said after the Bengal game, the commander is still learning how to best use Croskey-Merritt. But, obviously, like everyone else, they want to see more of him.