Commanders News: Magic Johnson, Antonio Gibson, Maxx Williams and Kazmeir Allen
By Dean Jones
Commanders have faith in Antonio Gibson
While many are anticipating Brian Robinson Jr. to take a monumental leap forward with a smoother offseason in 2023, much is also expected of Antonio Gibson. He's been something of a forgotten man following the 1,000-yard rushing campaign in 2021, but the urgency to perform in a contract year is there for all to see.
When discussing the sort of role Gibson could operate under next season via Yahoo Sports, head coach Ron Rivera suggested more involvement as a pass-catcher is being considered by play-caller Eric Bieniemy. But either way, the experienced figure wants more from the dual-threat weapon.
"I’d like to see Antonio get a few more tries, obviously last year, but Antonio’s shown tremendous growth and we’re pretty excited about who he could be. This is a guy that played wide receiver at one time coming out and one thing that he did have was every nine touches resulted in a touchdown, so we’re looking for some production from him as well and we’re looking to see that he does fit in into the scheme of things as far as what Eric Bieniemy wants to do with the offense."
- Antonio Gibson via Yahoo Sports
The Commanders drafted Chris Rodriguez Jr. with their sixth-round selection, which only increases uncertainty regarding Gibson's long-term future beyond the current campaign. If the player can increase his 899 all-purpose yards and five combined touchdowns achieved in 2022, another new contract should take care of itself.
The former third-round pick will be behind Robinson on the depth chart heading into the preparation period. But that doesn't mean Gibson won't be heavily involved if he integrates into Bieiemy's system as expected.