Nineteen weeks after being shot twice, Washington running back Brian Robinson Jr. told reporters in the Commanders locker room of his first NFL season: “I had a lot of fun.”

And the former Alabama ball-carrier is looking forward to starting Season No. 2 on time and fully healthy after leading Washington’s ground attack in 2022 despite what happened on Aug. 28.

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On the day after the Commanders’ final preseason game, Robinson was shot in the hip and knee when he was accosted by two armed teens seeking to steal his Dodge Challenger Hellcat in Washington, according to District of Columbia police, who reported Robinson wrested a gun away from one of the boys before being shot by the other.

After being shot, Robinson was taken to a hospital, where he had surgery before being released the next day.

The injuries caused Robinson to miss the first four games of the season, but he rebounded to lead Washington in rushing yards this season.

“After going through that and being where I am now, it’s been a great run with all the ups and downs,” Robinson said. “I’m appreciative for everything that’s been granted to me over this time. I just have so much to look forward to. Just the fact I came back and I did what I did, and I wasn’t even feeling too well. I’m just looking forward to getting back to 100 percent so I can really come back and play to my full potential and really have fun.”

Robinson made his NFL debut on Oct. 9 with 22 yards on nine carries in a 21-17 loss to the Tennessee Titans. Four days later, Robinson’s first touchdown on a 1-yard run lifted the Commanders to a 12-7 victory over the Chicago Bears.

Robinson ran for 86 yards and a touchdown as Washington became the first team to beat the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2022 season with a 32-21 win on Nov. 14, and two weeks later, he recorded his first 100-yard game and caught his first TD pass in a 19-13 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

“I grew a lot,” Robinson said. “I can honestly say when I first kind of got back on the field, I wasn’t even close to where I was in the backend of the season physically, so it was a year where I just had a chance to grow as a professional, and I watched myself kind of develop this year on the film week in and week out and I seen myself kind of make those strides week in and week out.

“Going through what I had went through and coming back and being a starter and just having that role on the team, it’s something really exciting to look forward to next year.”

Robinson missed Washington’s regular-season finale on Sunday with a knee injury. While playing in 12 of the Commanders’ 17 games, Robinson still led the team with 797 yards and two touchdowns on 205 rushing attempts. He also caught nine passes for 60 yards and one touchdown.

“Not at all,” Robinson responded when asked if his performance had surprised him. “I prepared for it when I came in here before they even drafted me. Coach (Ron) Rivera brought me in here and he told me he wasn’t going to sit me around, let me develop or whatever. He felt I was going to come in and be ready to play, so that was the expectation, and that’s what I came in and that’s what I did.”

Washington finished with an 8-8-1 record, one-half game out of a playoff spot in the NFC.

“I feel like we’re very close,” Robinson said the day after the Commanders’ season-ending 26-6 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. “We say that every week, like ‘Dang, we just be that close.’ We showed ourselves last night against a team like that, we showed ourselves what we can do, we showed ourselves what kind of potential we can play to, what we can build around — just something exciting, good energy to go into the offseason with. Hopefully, guys are going to feed off of that and come back with a chip on their shoulder.”

A prep standout at Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa, Robinson joined the Commanders in the third round of the NFL Draft on April 29 after running for 1,343 yards and 14 touchdowns and catching 35 passes for 296 yards for Alabama during the 2021 season.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.