Washington Commanders running back Antonio Gibson has had a roller coaster career with the franchise. After being selected in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft out of Memphis, he was an immediate contributor to the team.
He had a career-high 11 rushing touchdowns as a rookie, garnering 206 touches for 1,042 total yards from scrimmage. In Year 2 his role expanded even more as he had 300 touches for 1,331 yards and 10 total touchdowns.
But, in Year 3, he found himself in the doghouse of head coach Ron Rivera. Rivera was planning to use him solely as a special teams player, primarily as the kickoff return man. After an injury to Brian Robinson Jr. before the regular season, as he was shot, Gibson retained a role in the offense.
Now heading into the final season of his rookie contract, Gibson is hoping that he has a chance to show his full repertoire. He would love to be a bigger part of the offense, lining up at wide receiver, which was his natural position collegiately before transitioning to running back full time.
“Just lining up out wide, like you said,” Gibson said in an interview with former Washington cornerback, Fred Smoot. “I haven’t shown my position. I feel the same way. Every year we talk about it, but it hasn’t happened.”
Gibson could receive his wish with new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy taking over the offense. His presence will lead to some changes for players on the offense and the former Memphis product is hoping that means lining up more on the perimeter for himself. He believes that would help him unlock another level of production he has yet to reach as a professional.
“Hopefully, this year, it comes around to where I get to showcase on multiple occasions what I can do out there,” he said. “First, I love being out there. I have fun out there, and once I get the ball in open space, I’m really that guy. At running back, I’m not going to say it’s not (possible), because I’ve seen a lot of guys do it, but those opportunities are not there. Once you catch the ball in that open field, you got so much more space.”
It will be interesting to see what kind of role the team has planned for Gibson heading into 2023. They are deep at wide receiver with Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson and Curtis Samuel atop the depth chart.
At running back, Robinson is listed as the starter with Gibson behind him. But, with J.D. McKissic no longer on the roster, the third-down and passing game role is Gibson’s to lose; Robinson had very little impact in that area as a rookie, being targeted only 12 times in 12 games.
Gibson will certainly have a role in the offense in 2023, the question is how big of a role it will be. We will start to see what kind of plans the team has for him once training camp gets underway next week.
