Antonio Gibson surging with the Washington Football Team
After the release of Derrius Guice, it was expected that future Hall of Famer Adrian Peterson would be the bell cow running back for the Washington Football Team. Guice was released following his arrest earlier this month. Peterson has bounced around the NFL since leaving the Minnesota Vikings. J.D. McKissic is also expected to see some reps in the pass game. Rookie Antonio Gibson is also projected to get playing time.
While Peterson is the projected starter in the nation’s capital, rookie Antonio Gibson has been climbing up the depth chart and getting reps with the starters. Gibson is an explosive athlete who was heavily used in the pass game in college. Gibson was picked in the third round out of the University of Memphis by Washington.
Looking at the college career of Antonio Gibson
In Mike Norvell’s offense at Memphis, Gibson was used primarily as a receiver throughout his college career. In 2019, he had 38 receptions for 735 yards and eight touchdowns. On the ground, he carried the ball 33 carries for 369 yards and four touchdowns. He averaged a whopping 15.5 yards per touch.
Gibson’s encouraging training camp is great news for this franchise. After drafting Chase Young, one of the most dominant defensive players that college football has ever seen, with the second overall pick, the team did not have a second rounder. Not having a second round pick after going 3-13 is a killer. The pick was sent to Indianapolis during the 2019 NFL draft during a trade up.
Projecting Gibson’s rookie season with the Washington Football Team
If Gibson can hit the ground running and be a weapon for the team, it would off-set the blow of not having the 34th pick. Also, a dynamic weapon out of the backfield would be huge for the development of Washington quarterback, Dwayne Haskins.
There are a lot of different ways that Washington can use Antonio Gibson. Scott Turner, the offensive coordinator for the Washington Football Team, is the son of Norv Turner. Norv Turner was the offensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers the last two years, and was able to use Christian McCaffrey, who is another dynamic running back who makes a lot of plays in the passing game, and absolutely shred opposing defenses.