Adrian Peterson’s time in Washington has come to an end. The Washington Football Team released the future Hall of Fame running back Friday. With Peterson’s release it’s expected rookie Antonio Gibson will assume the role of Washington’s featured back.
While Peterson said his release “caught me by surprise” he endorsed Gibson on his rounds with the media following his release.
He called Gibson a “hell of a talent” to NFL insider Josina Anderson.
“This system really fits him,” Peterson told Anderson. “I feel like I can do that pony style too, more as a receiving back. We were all working on it, but they really want one main guy to do it and they drafted Gibson for it.”
Gibson showed glimpses of his potential in college at Memphis. He primarily played wide receiver but had 33 carries out of the backfield. His size at 6-foot, 228 pounds, speed and elusiveness intrigued Washington enough to draft him in the third round of this year’s draft as a running back.
As Gibson grew comfortable in training camp, he got more reps eventually landing first-team reps with Peterson. Gibson’s skill set has drawn comparisons to Christian McCaffrey, who Washington head coach Ron Rivera coached in Carolina.
“He’ll make an easy transition to the NFL because he’s a big guy,” Peterson later told 106.7 the Fan’s Grant Paulsen. “I know he took 95% of his snaps at the WR position in college but he’s going to be able to run between the tackles. I love what I see from him.”
Peterson’s endorsement should ease some Washington fans’ minds who were wary of Friday’s decision to cut the 35-year old.
In addition to Gibson, JD McKissic, another college wide receiver-converted into pro running back, has emerged as the third-down back for Washington. Peyton Barber and second-year pro Bryce Love have flashed in practices.
Rivera explained while Peterson wasn’t a fit for Washington’s offense, the decision to release him wasn’t about what he did didn’t do, but more about what the rest of the running backs could do.
