Washington Commanders Getting Value Out of 'Explosive, Dynamic' RBs

Washington Commanders coach Ron Rivera spoke about the importance of running backs Brian Robinson Jr. and Antonio Gibson being valuable both as rushers and pass-catching options.

One of the reasons that the Washington Commanders have been able to overcome some clear deficiencies -- the worst offensive line in the league, trading their two star edge rushers -- and at least be a competitive team in most of their games is because they have quite a bit of skill-position talent offensively. 

Brian Robinson Jr. and Antonio Gibson are the running back tandem for the Washington Commanders.  / USA Today

Receiver Terry McLaurin rightfully gets the bulk of that attention, and he's putting together another strong season with 51 catches for 601 yards. But offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy has a nice running back tandem to work with in Brian Robinson Jr. and Antonio Gibson. What makes Robinson and Gibson an intriguing pair, in the estimation of coach Ron Rivera, is that they are able to contribute both as rushers and pass catchers. 

“It is very important because one of the things that we wanted to make sure in talking with EB [Bieniemy] back in February, it was about distributing the ball and getting the ball to the players in space, giving them an opportunity to be explosive and dynamic," Rivera said. "That was one of the things again that I told you guys earlier, probably last February, that I was really thoughtful about and seeing and listening and looking for ways to get the ball to these guys as quickly as possible.”

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Robinson's rookie year was, of course, altered rather drastically when he was the victim of a gunshot in an attempted robbery just weeks before the season began. Fully healthy in 2023, the former third-round pick has rushed for 485 yards, while averaging four yards per carry. He's also caught 20 passes for 256 yards. In total, Robinson has eight touchdowns in his second season with the Commanders. 

Gibson may never top the production that he put up in his first two NFL seasons, but has been productive when given opportunities in Bieniemy's offense this season. He only has 30 carries, but is averaging 4.6 yards per carry when asked to rush this season. Gibson also has 30 catches for 269 yards and two receiving touchdowns in 2023. 

Washington is 4-6, but they've lost two games to the Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Seahawks by a combined six points. Make no mistake, this team needs to make drastic investments in their offensive line this offseason, as quarterback Sam Howell has been sacked a league-leading 47 times. But Howell has shown enough flashes to make you believe that if Washington protects him better and gets him another weapon at receiver, he and the Commanders could be a playoff team in 2024. Whether Rivera will still be the coach then or not remains to be seen.