Washington running back Antonio Gibson is battling a turf toe injury that could jeopardize his status for Sunday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers.
The third-round rookie suffered the injury in the first quarter of Monday’s win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Gibson limped off after a 13-yard gain. He was seen being attended to on the sideline by a trainer, who wrapped the 21-year-old’s toe. Gibson did not return to the contest.
According to Webmd, turf toe injuries can take “typically two to three weeks for the pain to subside.” That’s not an indicator of how long Gibson will be out, but if the running back comes back sooner, he could be fighting through pain.
The NFL Network reported that Gibson will be evaluated as the week progresses. Washington coach Ron Rivera was tight-lipped Tuesday when asked for an update on Gibson’s condition.
If Gibson misses time, that will be a significant blow to Washington’s offense.
Gibson had been one of the team’s top playmakers, rushing for 659 yards with 11 touchdowns and catching 32 passes for 232 yards. Before Pittsburgh, he was coming off his best game of the year: A 115-yard, three-touchdown performance on Thanksgiving in Dallas.
Gibson, who played mostly wide receiver in college before transitioning to running back, is second among rookies in rushing yards — though has 10 fewer carries than Kansas City’s Clyde Edwards-Helaire (692 yards).
Without Gibson, Washington will primarily turn to veterans J.D. McKissic and Peyton Barber. McKissic played 74% of the snaps in Monday’s win, and often sees the field even when Gibson is healthy. But McKissic tends to be more involved in Washington’s passing game as he has 56 catches to 55 rushing attempts. In Monday’s win, McKissic had a career-high 10 catches for 70 yards.
In recent weeks, Barber, a 5-foot-11 back, has seen an increased role in the offense. After zero carries in a Week 9 to the Giants and two carries the following week in a loss to Detroit, Barber has had eight, 11 and 14 rushing attempts over the last three games.
Washington likes to use Barber, a former starter with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in short yardage and four-minute situations.
“Those yards are hard to come by in those situations,” offensive coordinator Scott Turner said. “He’s done a great job of moving the chains.”
McKissic and Barber were each signed this past offseason. Washington identified McKissic, who spent time with the Detroit Lions and Seattle Seahawks, as someone who could thrive in a slightly bigger role. The team signed Barber in part because of Rivera’s familiarity with having gone against in the NFC South when the coach was with the Carolina Panthers.
If Gibson is out, Washington could also look to elevate practice squad back and former Terrapin Javon Leake. Leake, an undrafted free agent rookie, was placed on the league’s COVID-19 reserve list in late November, though has since been removed.
The team had hoped to activate 2019 fourth-rounder Bryce Love (knee) from injured reserve, but the deadline to do so has passed. Washington had 21 days to take Love off the list once the running back started practicing again in November. But Love, who tore his ACL in college and missed his entire rookie year, was shut down with knee soreness.
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