Antonio Gibson showed off his immense potential for the Washington Football Team as a rookie but he may become a bonafide superstar in 2021.
After the Washington Football Team used an early third-round pick (No. 66 overall) on running back Antonio Gibson last season, there were plenty of fans who expected big things. And with the opportunities he was given as a rookie, Gibson more than delivered the goods.
The 6-foot-2, 220-pound back played in 14 games and notched 170 carries for 795 yards (4.7 yards per carry) and an impressive 11 touchdowns. And despite players like J.K. McKissic eating into his role in the passing game, Gibson still caught 36 of his 44 targets for 247 yards, though he surprisingly didn’t notch a receiving touchdown.
Without question, that’s a strong start for the running back. But in his second season, there have been many people questioning how much his role will grow in the 2021 campaign. Will he still not be the primary pass-catching back and, thus, not be considered a true three-down back just yet? Well, if you ask backup quarterback Kyle Allen, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Speaking with the media on Tuesday, Allen said that head coach Ron Rivera and the Washington staff were gearing up to use Antonio Gibson in a role akin to an actual superstar running back: Christian McCaffrey.
Kyle Allen says Washington is trying to push Antonio Gibson into a similar role as Christian McCaffrey played in Carolina. That's a big role.
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) August 17, 2021
Both Allen and Rivera, along with much of the coaching staff, are familiar with what that type of role entails. They were all in Carolina back in 2019 when McCaffrey had over 1,300 rushing yards and eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards as well while scoring 19 total touchdowns. And while expecting any player to up such gaudy numbers is a bit much, is that the type of workload we could see for Gibson?
The Washington Football Team could lead Antonio Gibson to putting up insane numbers this season.
Antonio Gibson certainly has the natural skill set to fit into the role that McCaffrey has played for the Panthers. He’s a natural, big-bodied runner who is capable of taking a good bit of contact without wearing down but he’s also quick, speedy and has great hands when asked to work in the passing game.
The big concern, especially among fantasy football managers, has long been that Washington would continue to dial Gibson’s workload back and give touches to the like of McKissic. But if Allen is to be believed as the regular season is fast approaching, maybe that’s not going to be the case.
Moreover, utilizing Gibson in that multi-faceted role could be incredibly effective. With Ryan Fitzpatrick taking over at quarterback amid an increasingly enticing group of wide receivers, that should open up plenty of room for Gibson to find room in the short and intermediate areas of the field as opposing defenses will be forced to respect the deep passing game.
As is the case with most things we hear in training camp, we’ll believe that Gibson is the next version of CMC when we see it. In terms of his individual potential, though, if Washington does give the running back that type of workload, he appears more than equipped to do the most with it and take a step into undeniable stardom.