Antonio Gibson could be biggest beneficiary of JD McKissic’s return

The Washington Commanders haven’t been very busy this offseason, but it’s fair to consider the re-signing of JD McKissic as their finest transaction. That might seem obvious, but there are other worthy contenders.

Between retaining Cornelius Lucas, who started 15 games as a swing tackle over the last two seasons, dumping Ereck Flowers’ contract just to sign Andrew Norwell for less money, and bringing back Bobby McCain and Joey Slye, the front office has once again starred in making low-profile moves.

Getting back to McKissic, the collective jubilant reaction from his Commanders teammates after he spurned Buffalo to return to Washington spoke volumes about how much he’s beloved and looked up to in the locker room.

From Taylor Heinicke, McCain, Jeremy Reaves and Jaret Patterson, there was no shortage of celebrations after McKissic re-signed. But what about Washington’s other RB? How does he feel about having McKissic back in the fold?

As you would expect, Antonio Gibson is thrilled.

Antonio Gibson is thrilled to have JD McKissic back on the Commanders.

Here’s what Gibson told Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson.

"I love working with him. I was glad JD came back to the team.We’re a 1-2 punch combo. They rely on him a lot on third downs as far as catching passes. I’m very capable of doing that, too. … Having McKissic back gives me more time to learn from him. I love learning from him. He’s been helping me out.“He was headed towards a hell of a game,” Gibson said of the Week 12 clash vs Seattle when McKissic got injured. “He had two touchdowns before (the injury) happened. Just making plays when his name was called. That’s what he does. When he gets in, he makes plays. That’s the JD we all know. I think he would have had probably another touchdown if he was still in.”"

That quote pretty much says it all, right?

We all know third-down running backs can be found anywhere, but McKissic is a different breed. It’s clear Gibson realized how difficult it would’ve been to replicate McKissic’s production had he fulfilled his verbal agreement with Buffalo.

A former wide receiver in college, Gibson hasn’t been utilized as a pass-catcher over his first two seasons. While 73 catches for 541 yards and three touchdowns is nothing to sniff at, it’s a far cry from the numbers he posted at Memphis.

In fairness to Gibson, he’s been so fixated transitioning to running back — and learning to take better care of the football — that he hasn’t had time to improve his pass-catching ability. With McKissic back for a third year in Washington, and a third as Gibson’s teammate, the former Tiger is looking to change that.

"“I feel like that’s part of my game,” Gibson told Wilson. “I’m versatile. It’s just perfecting those techniques, getting my receiver game back down. I’ve got running back down. I feel like I can always improve. I feel like I got it down, I know what I need to do, and I’m coming in and I’m going to do it.”"

Sure sounds like Gibson is motivated to prove that he can be a three-down back. At the very least, he’s entering Year 3 with a bulldog attitude.

With McKissic back leading by example and giving pointers to Gibson when necessary, it’s not crazy to think the 23-year-old could be the biggest beneficiary of McKissic’s return. That includes newly-minted quarterback Carson Wentz