Patriots Rising Playmaker Could See Growing Role

This New England Patriots playmaker is making waves early on in the season.

Sep 15, 2024; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots running back Antonio Gibson (4) runs the ball against the Seattle Seahawks in the second half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images

The New England Patriots' offense has certainly not been impressive over the first three weeks of the NFL season. Not that comes as much of a surprise given the Patriots' lack of legitimate weapons.

However, there is one New England playmaker that appears to be on the rise heading into Week 4.

Running back Antonio Gibson.

The Pats signed Gibson in free agency with the hope that he would provide a nice change of pace to Rhamondre Stevenson, but he may end up representing much more than that for the club.

Chad Graff of The Athletic recently did a stock up, stock down piece for the Patriots, and among his risers was Gibson.

Graff even feels that Gibson may ultimately take touches away from Stevenson.

"The Patriots added Gibson in free agency mostly to be a pass-catching, third-down back," Graff wrote. "But he has impressed fans and coaches with some hard runs and shiftiness out of the backfield. Between his play and Rhamondre Stevenson’s fumbling issue (more on him later), Gibson could eat into Stevenson’s large workload."

Gibson has carried the ball 23 times for 143 yards thus far, good for a robust average of 6.2 yards per carry. He has also logged four catches for 15 yards.

Meanwhile, Stevenson is recording a much less efficient 4.3 yards per attempt.

Gibson spent the first four years of his career with the Washington Commanders, with his most productive campaign coming in 2021 when he racked up 1,037 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground while also catching 42 passes for 294 yards and three scores.

The last couple of years, however, Gibson's output fell off considerably, and in 2023, he totaled 265 yards and one touchdowns as a rusher.

However, the 26-year-old seems to be establishing a role within New England's offense, and if Stevenson continues to be so-so (and fumble the football), Gibson could ultimately become a much more integral cog in the system.

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