Commanders RB Antonio Gibson: Most Explosive NFC Running Back?

In the NFL's top 10 according to NFL.com, and the best back in his division

Washington Commanders running back Antonio Gibson has started 24 games in his first two NFL seasons.

In those, he has collected over 2,300 total yards of offense while scoring 21 touchdowns and building a resume as one of the up-and-coming ball carriers in the league. 

And according to an analysis of Next Gen Stats (NGS) by NFL.com, he's also the most explosive running back in the NFC East. 

"Commanders coach Ron Rivera waxed poetic last month about the benefits of a committee backfield entering 2022, but in 2021, Gibson received the vast majority of carries," says NFL.com. "(Gibson) served as the bell cow for Washington...He posted a 44.6 percent success rate on runs (percentage of carries resulting in positive expected points added), second only to Jonathan Taylor among running backs on this list.

He operated largely out of the shotgun, gaining the sixth-most rushing yards against light boxes (six or fewer defenders in the box) among running backs...Washington's offensive struggles certainly didn't help Gibson's overall production, but the explosiveness was still visible in his 38 15-plus mph runs and 24 10-plus-yard runs."

According to NGS, in 2021 nearly 10 percent of Gibson's runs went for 10 yards or more, and he hit speeds of 15 miles per hour or more on nearly 15 percent. 

This is better than any other back in the division and makes him the sixth-ranked among his peers across the league. 

Only Elijah Mitchell (49ers), Joe Mixon (Bengals), Nick Chubb (Browns), Dalvin Cook (Vikings), and Jonathan Taylor (Colts) finished ahead of Gibson in this metric. 

However, Gibson isn't the most explosive rusher in the NFC East. 

That title belongs to Philadelphia Eagles quarterback, Jalen Hurts.

"Hurts led the league in designed QB runs (72), rushing yards gained on such runs (377) and yards per carry on such runs (5.2, min. 30 such runs)," wrote NFL.com. "In addition, his 146 rush yards gained over expected, eight touchdowns scored and 11 first downs gained over expected on such runs led the league. So did Hurts' +20 rushing expected points added on designed QB runs."

The Eagles quarterback is the No. 1 overall player in explosive runs according to NGS, while Gibson comes in No. 9 on the list when including quarterbacks like Hurts and Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens. 

With Gibson running well for the Washington Commanders along with the return of J.D. McKissic and the addition of rookie Brian Robinson Jr., the team not only has the most explosive running back in the division but a three-headed backfield that could help take significant amounts of pressure off new quarterback Carson Wentz.