Washington star wishes he had never changed position despite NFL success

03 August 2023 , 17:54

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Antonio Gibson played as a wide receiver at college before switching to a running back for the Washington Commanders (Image: Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

Washington Commanders star Antonio Gibson has revealed that he would do things differently over his NFL position change earlier in his career.

Gibson was drafted by the Commanders in the 2020 NFL Draft with the No. 66 overall-pick in the third round. The 24-year-old had played college football as a wide receiver but later switched to a running back.

The subject of running backs in the NFL has caused a great deal of debate around contracts. Such players including Saquon Barkley of the New York Giants and Josh Jacobs of the Las Vegas Raiders were handed the franchise tag by their respective organisation.

In the end, Barkley signed a one-year deal after the franchise tag deadline had passed. However, Jacobs is yet to sign any deal with the Raiders, and it remains to be seen what the future holds for the running back.

Gibson is about to enter the fourth and final year of the rookie contract he signed after being drafted by Washington in 2020. With his deal entering its latter stages, there will likely be talk over what the future holds for Gibson with the Commanders.

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For now, though, Gibson is enjoying his current role with the team. Although, in a recent interview he admitted that, if he had the opportunity, he would choose to remain a wide receiver rather than switch to a running back.

“Not switching now, I’m fine where I’m at, you know I got well acclimated, but if I definitely had the choice, I’d probably stay at receiver,” Gibson said on .

“I enjoy receiver, I always loved it, but I’m having fun with this running back role, especially over the years of learning it every year and finally putting it together.”

Antonio Gibson is preparing for his fourth season with the Washington Commanders (Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

Gibson has been a key player for the Washington offense since he was first drafted more than three years ago. His rookie year in 2020 saw the running back score 11 touchdowns with 795 rushing yards and 170 carries.

Those numbers have decreased somewhat in the two years since Gibson’s first season in the NFL. Across the 2021 and 2022 NFL seasons, Gibson has scored a total of 10 touchdowns with 1,583 rushing yards and 407 carries.

Gibson will be hoping to be yet another key part of the Washington offense as the team goes into its first season following the takeover. A $6.05 billion (£4.76 billion) deal led by Crystal Palace and Philadelphia 76ers co-owner Josh Harris, which also featured NBA legend Magic Johnson, was completed on July 20.

Mark Wakefield