The Washington Commanders spent a third-round pick on running back/wide receiver Antonio Gibson in the 2020 NFL draft. As a rookie, Washington immediately made Gibson a full-time running back and handed him the starting job. Gibson proceeded to rush for 795 yards and 11 touchdowns.
The future looked bright for Gibson.
In 2021, Gibson started 16 games for the Commanders, rushed for 1,037 yards and seven touchdowns, but struggled with fumbles. He fumbled six times in 2021.
The Commanders brought in Brian Robinson Jr. in 2022, who would overtake Gibson as the starter, allowing Gibson to be more of a receiving option out of the backfield.
This offseason, Gibson departed. Gibson’s fumbling issues and poor coaching derailed a once-promising career in Washington. Neither head coach Ron Rivera nor Gibson’s offensive coordinators (Scott Turner and Eric Bieniemy) knew how to use him best.
Gibson signed a two-year deal with the Patriots in March.
In his first training camp with the Patriots, Gibson had some parting words for his former team, calling them “a struggling organization.”
Antonio Gibson said the Patriots “do things completely different” than what he was used to in Washington, which he called “a struggling organization.”
Said he loves the culture and is very excited for his role in this offense.
— Zack Cox (@zm_cox) July 29, 2024
This should go over well with Washington’s fans. The comments were all over Gibson, asking him if he “fumbled his words.”
In all seriousness, Gibson isn’t wrong. The Commanders were a struggling organization while he was there. And maybe the Patriots do things completely differently, but so does Washington — now.
Rivera and his staff are gone. From the top on down, the Commanders are much different, and everyone is raving about the changes. So, sure, Gibson may remember things one way, but that’s not how things are these days.
Gibson was used incorrectly in Washington. If he had a clean slate and time left on his contract, perhaps new offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury could help maximize his skillset. Both sides needed a change, and the Commanders signed Austin Ekeler, while Gibson gets a chance to restart his career.
