Likely to move to bench Gibson is likely to serve as a backup running back for the Commanders in Thursday's game against the Bears with rookie Brian Robinson expected to serve as Washington's starter, Ian... Impact During the preseason, Robinson looked to be trending toward the Week 1 start, but he ended up opening the regular season on the reserve/non-football injury list after he suffered two gunshot wounds in his leg Aug. 29, when he was the victim of an attempted robbery. While Robinson was out for the Commanders' first four games, Gibson was able to temporarily maintain his hold on the lead role out of the backfield, but he averaged just 3.3 yards on 53 carries in those contests. Robinson returned to the lineup Week 5 and was eased back in with an 18-snap workload in a loss to the Titans, but that was enough to result in Gibson dropping down to a season-low 32 percent snap share while he carried just three times for six yards. Head coach Ron Rivera hasn't elaborated on how he plans to divide the workload between Robinson, Gibson and pass-catching specialist J.D. McKissic on Thursday, but with the news that Robinson is on track to start, it's fair to expect Gibson's early down opportunities to tail off further. Gibson has shown some aptitude as a pass catcher during his career, so he may still have a chance to poach work from McKissic on third downs if Rivera wants to keep Gibson involved on offense in some capacity.
OCTOBER 13, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
