Washington Position Group Breakdown: Running Backs
May 19, 2023
by David Earl
The Running Back Room
With the addition of Eric Bieniemy as offensive coordinator, earlier, I decided to take a deep dive into how the usage of Brian Robinson Jr. and Antonio Gibson may look under his scheme. These two line up well with last season’s Chiefs usage, which I won’t go into detail about here as you can read that breakdown here. Releasing J.D. McKissic and drafting Chris Rodriguez Jr while making no other significant additions in free agency, they seem to be placing all faith in Robinson and Gibson heading into week 1. So who’s on the roster and how do they fit into the scheme of things under Bieniemy?
Brian Robinson Jr.
| Brian Robinson Jr. | Carries | Total Yards | Yards Per Carry | TDs |
| vs. Atlanta and NYG (2 games) | 51 | 290 | 5.68 | 0 |
| Remaining 9 Games | 154 | 507 | 3.29 | 2 |
| Season Totals | 205 | 797 | 3.89 | 2 |
Brian Robinson Jr. is that pure north-south runner. He averaged 2.2 yards after contact, which is well behind runners like D’Andre Swift (3.7), Travis Etienne (3.4), and Isiah Pacheco (3.2). Granted these guys were all shifter running backs but, when compared to Derrick Henry (2.1), he is well behind on yards per carry average as Henry’s career yards per carry average is 4.8 (4.4 last season). All of those running backs play behind the top half of the league’s offensive lines that produce 4.4 yards per attempt average, with Kansas City and Jacksonville being in the top 10. Robinson Jr. has been compounded by injury due to a gunshot, as well as being supported by one of the worst run-blocking units in the NFL. Washington’s offensive line was ranked 28th in yards per carry average last yeaw. In Alabama, he averaged 5.0 yards per carry average behind one of the strongest units in college football and against SEC competition, so the ability is certainly prevalent. Last season fans saw his ability in 3 games in which he averaged 5.68 yards per carry on 51 attempts but the remaining 9 games were very pedestrian averaging 3.89 yards per carry. This season Brian Robinson Jr will be fully healthy plus a year of experience behind him while running behind a revamped (not greatly improved) offensive line.
Antonio Gibson
| Rushing | Receiving | ||||||||
| Antonio Gibson | Carries | Total Yards | Yards Per Carry | TDs | Rec. | Total Yards | Yards Per Catch | TDs | |
| 2020 Season | 170 | 795 | 4.7 | 11 | 36 | 247 | 6.9 | 0 | |
| 2021 Season | 258 | 1037 | 4 | 7 | 42 | 294 | 7 | 3 | |
| 2022 Season | 149 | 546 | 3.7 | 3 | 46 | 353 | 7.7 | 2 | |
| Career Totals | 577 | 2378 | 4.1 | 21 | 124 | 894 | 7.2 | 5 | |
Antonio Gibson will clearly fill the role of Jerick McKinnon last season for the Kansas City Chiefs as the predominant pass-catching running back. Although his numbers declined as a runner over the past 3 seasons, as a natural wide receiver, he has steadily improved in the passing game. His yards per catch increased by .8 while becoming more of a focal point in targets – he receivied 44 targets in 2020 to 58 last season and in a system that did not necessarily feature the running back as a primary target. Under Eric Bieniemy’s system, we could see a nearly 40% increase in targets, which put him into the mid-range area of 75. For comparison’s sake, McKinnon had 71 targets last season. Despite the fact that his numbers have steadily declined by a full yard from his 2020 season to last year in yards per carry, he is not a liability in the run game. There will be plenty of opportunities for Gibson to run the ball, but his biggest impact, especially with what appears as a lack of a big play tight end, will surely be taking advantage of intermediate zones as this wide receiver group should effectively stretch the field.
The Depth
Christopher Rodriquez Jr.
| Christopher Rodriguez Jr. | Carries | Total Yards | Yards Per Carry | TDs |
| 2018 Season | 2 | 43 | 21.5 | 0 |
| 2019 Season | 71 | 533 | 7.5 | 6 |
| 2020 Season | 119 | 785 | 6.6 | 11 |
| 2021 Season | 225 | 1378 | 6.1 | 10 |
| 2022 Season | 175 | 904 | 5.2 | 6 |
| Career College Totals | 592 | 3643 | 6.2 | 33 |
Chris has the size you want in a running back (6’0″ and 217lbs) with an adequate forty time of 4.52 seconds. His scouting profile feels more like a Brian Robinson Jr. backup as he’s a strong downhill runner but lacks the elusiveness to be anything more. He was not utilized in Kentucky’s passing game, but his low center of gravity and good use of his power could make him a valuable short-yardage and goal-line runner. He is a patient runner, much like Robinson, who utilizes his blockers and is a tough runner to bring down on first contact.
| Jonathan Williams | Carries | Total Yards | Yards Per Carry | TDs |
| 2021 Season | 17 | 79 | 4.6 | 1 |
| 2022 Season | 37 | 152 | 4.1 | 0 |
| Career Totals | 134 | 565 | 4.2 | 3 |
Jonathan Williams‘s 2 years with Washington were on par for his career as a journeyman player in this league. He provided adequate relief for Robinson, averaging 4.23 yards per carry and being roughly as effective in average yards after contact at 2.4. Throughout his career, he has been non-existent in the passing game, and that has been no different in Washington, as he has only 16 total targets in 2 seasons.
| Jaret Patterson |
Carries | Total Yards | Yards Per Carry | TDs |
| 2021 Season | 68 | 266 | 3.9 | 2 |
| 2022 Season | 17 | 78 | 4.6 | 0 |
| Career Totals | 85 | 344 | 4.0 | 2 |
Jaret Patterson has been a primary special team player with some electric runs for this team in his first 2 seasons. He is another power runner with a low running profile who also averaged 2.2 yards after contact last season, as did Robinson. While his 12 total targets don’t say much for his passing game utilization, Jaret’s scouting report suggests something a little different. He shows natural hands when catching passes thrown to him with the kind of body control and focus that translates to the next level. This has not yet been seen but in his defense, Patterson has not yet had the opportunity to show his fullest potential. He has always had a quick step in his runs to avoid tacklers and has excellent in-line speed to separate from defenders.