A day after working on the punt return unit as a blocker, Washington Commanders running back Antonio Gibson took reps as a kick returner in practice Wednesday.
Gibson joined in the kick return rotation along with Kyric McGowan, Dax Milne and Alex Erickson, according to Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post.
After practice, Commanders head coach Ron Rivera pointed to Gibson returning kicks in college at Memphis. Rivera also mentioned the team is still weighing their options at kick returner.
Gibson was a dynamic returner for the Tigers. As a senior in 2019, Gibson averaged 28 yards per return. In total, he returned 23 kicks for 645 yards and one touchdown. That went along with his 38 catches for 735 yards and eight touchdowns as a wide receiver while he gained 369 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 33 carries.
The Commanders drafted Gibson in 2020 shifting him to running back. In his first two NFL seasons, Gibson had 1,832 yards on the ground, 18 rushing touchdowns and 4.3 yards per carry average. He also snagged 78 catches and three receiving TDs.
That’s strong production for any young running back. Yet, it’s been marred by seven fumbles, six coming last season. Those six fumbles were the most by any non-quarterback in the NFL.
Still, Gibson entered training camp as the presumed starting running back. But, after losing a fumble on his second carry of Saturday’s preseason loss to the Carolina Panthers, Gibson appears in a battle with rookie Brian Robinson Jr. to be the Commanders’ lead running back.
Offensive coordinator Scott Turner said the Commanders “can’t have wasted possessions” in reference to Gibson’s fumbles.
On Tuesday, Gibson practiced with the first, second and third offenses. Additionally, he was on the punt return in the slot as a blocker, a position usually reserved for a backup running back.
Wednesday Gibson added another duty to his list, kick returner. Gibson is a dynamic athlete. And there is no doubt he could boost the kick return. Rivera came away from Saturday’s game not happy with his kick returners.
Still, the story is Gibson being relegated to special teams. Not that Washington needs help on kickoffs.
Either Rivera is challenging the third-year running back. Or, there is a change within the running back depth chart. Nevertheless, Gibson must prove his worth to the team, and stop turning the football over when he possesses it.
