NFL
By: Ryan Cooley
*All statistics/grades are via Pro Football Focus
Antonio Gibson was selected 66th overall in the 2020 NFL Draft. The pick was a headscratcher as Washington didn’t need a running back. Derrius Guice, Adrian Peterson, Bryce Love, J.D. McKissic, and Peyton Barber were all on the roster. Of course, no one knew Guice, Peterson, and Love wouldn’t be on the 53-man roster when the season started.
This opened a door for Antonio Gibson to get serious playing time. He made a permanent move to running back once he entered the NFL. I thought he would be used all over the field, but his emergence as a capable back in the NFL landed him a full-time role in the backfield.
Gibson’s rookie season exceeded all expectations. He finished the year with 826 rushing yards on 184 carries (4.5 YPC), 251 receiving yards on 38 receptions, and an 83.4 rushing grade, which ranked 7th best in the league. Many were excited to see what Gibson’s full potential would look like after an impressive rookie campaign.
His sophomore season wasn’t what many expected. The most glaring issue was ball security. He led all running backs with six fumbles. His 33.2 fumbling grade ranked 2nd worst in the league (100 carry minimum).
Despite finishing the year with over 1,000 rushing yards, his yards per carry dropped from 4.5 to 4. This stemmed from poor vision and a lack of missed tackles forced. In 2020, he forced 39 missed tackles (a 21.2% MTF rate). In 2021, with 74 more carries, he only managed to match his 39 missed tackles forced (a 15.1% MTF rate).
His vision also seemed to take a step back. He was consistently missing wide-open holes and cut-back lanes the offensive line would create. Gibson was near the top of the list of rushes classified as “perfectly blocked.” Unfourtantly, he only managed 5 yards per carry on these rushes. For comparison, Jonathan Taylor averaged 9.9 yards per carry on perfectly blocked runs.
I'm not sure what made Antonio Gibson bubble this outside rather than pressing and cutting back to a likely house call, but I'd bet the Commanders coaching staff had a lot to say about this in meetings.
Brian Robinson Jr., on the other hand…??? pic.twitter.com/cZndk0elea
— Brett Kollmann (@BrettKollmann) August 15, 2022
After fumbling in the preseason opener, Gibson has been practicing a lot with various special team units. While it might not lead to much, it isn’t a good sign when you’re supposed starting running back is practicing in punt protection.
We will have to see what the future holds for Gibson in Washington. If his workload is decreased significantly, Rivera may look to trade him while he has some value left. While he won’t warrant much in return, something is better than nothing.
I believe we will/should see Gibson in a new role. I have always felt they would utilize Gibson everywhere on the offense and not limit him to playing just one position. With the emergence of Brian Robinson, they won’t need Gibson to be the first and second down back all game. This will open up opportunities for Gibson to be used more as a receiver. Reports this past week say Gibson was even taking reps as a returner.
The last option would be to simply cut him. While extremely unlikely, if no team is willing to give up any assets to trade for Gibson, Rivera still might want to move on. Releasing Gibson would save Washington a little over $770,000 in cap space. This would open the door for either Jonathan Williams or Jarrett Patterson to make the 53.
Only time will tell what will happen with Gibson. I believe Rivera and Turner will look to use him in new ways, while Robinson takes the running back duties on first and second down. Gibson is still a weapon and a threat with the ball in his hands, so this dilemma might actually end up benefitting the offense.
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