When the Washington Commanders selected wide receiver Antonio Gibson in the third round of the 2020 NFL draft, many fans believed they’d found Terry McLaurin’s sidekick for the next decade.
Gibson, who played for two years at a junior college before enrolling at Memphis, only appeared in five games in 2018. However, in 2019, Gibson would appear in 14 games, where he caught 38 passes for 735 yards and eight touchdowns. Gibson averaged a gaudy 19.3 yards per reception.
Gibson also displayed running back skills, carrying the ball 33 times for 369 yards and four touchdowns. He averaged over 11 yards per carry. He also averaged 28 yards per kickoff return.
When Washington selected Gibson, it believed he was the running back of the future. Before the end of training camp, Gibson was Washington’s starting running back before he ever played a game. The team even cut the legendary Adrian Peterson in training camp.
As a rookie, Gibson rushed for 795 yards and 11 touchdowns. In 2021, Gibson rushed for 1,037 yards and seven touchdowns. He also struggled with fumbles.
Not bad numbers for someone who’d never been a full-time running back — and doing it as a young player in the NFL.
Now entering his fourth season, Gibson is expected to play more of a third-down role, meaning he’ll be much more involved in the passing game, which excites him.
On Wednesday, Kay Adams of FanDuel TV was in Ashburn for Commanders training camp. She spoke to Gibson and asked him about playing running back and his time as a wide receiver. Adams asked Gibson if he ever thought of switching positions.
“Not switching now, I’m fine where I’m at, you know I got well acclimated, but if I definitely had the choice, I’d probably stay at receiver,” Gibson said. ‘I enjoy receiver, I always loved it, but I’m having fun with this running back role, especially over the years of learning it every year and finally putting it together.”
Antonio Gibson played WR in college before switching to RB. Would he do it differently now given what is happening to the RB position?
"If I had the choice, I'd probably stay at receiver."
📺: @FanDuelTV @heykayadams @AntonioGibson14 pic.twitter.com/IQeitlyOdK
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) August 2, 2023
The question was in reference to the current NFL debate on running back pay.
You can’t blame Gibson. For one, wide receivers, even average ones, get paid well while the top running backs are being squeezed. And Gibson was a dynamic receiver before making the switch to running back.
