Commanders Training Camp Notebook: Antonio Gibson Practicing on Special Teams?
ASHBURN, Va. -- The Washington Commanders will play the Kansas City Chiefs Saturday afternoon in their second preseason contest of the year.
Commonly referred to as the dress rehearsal across the NFL, this week is when we anticipate seeing the starters the most.
Because of that, it's the closest to seeing the full product Washington will field in the regular season we'll get before Week 1.
Here's what we took away from today's training camp practice.
NEW TERRITORY OR JUST NEW ATTENTION?
All week we've been talking about Antonio Gibson, Brian Robinson Jr., and which one of them will be the starting running back for Washington moving forward.
While Gibson has been getting reps with all three teams in practice and special teams, Robinson has also earned time with the starters.
More interesting is the fact Robinson hasn't been getting his normal workload of special teams reps, despite coach Ron Rivera's assurances the team is simply making sure all of the players are ready for duty if called upon.
“This one thing you guys need to understand is that once we get into the regular season, everybody is involved in special teams," Rivera said. "AG did it last year. So for the most part, you know, this is nothing new. It's just, you guys see it. So now it becomes a news story.”
Despite Rivera's claims, Gibson has not played special teams since entering the league per Pro Football Focus.
HERE'S MY SAFETY
Joining the Commanders this training camp, Steven Parker is now with his third different NFC East team in as many seasons.
In his first outing with the team, Parker was the highest-graded defender for Washington, earning a 90.8 from Pro Football Focus.
Parker appeared in 32 snaps, recording three tackles while allowing zero catches on three targets.
Surprising many, we made it a point to watch more of him this week leading up to preseason contest No. 2, and like what we've seen.
With another opportunity to flash some skills against the Chiefs on Saturday, is it possible Washington has found a contributor in Parker?
Maybe. And we'll keep an eye out to see if it's real, or a one-week flash in the pan.
ABSENT APKE
Many were surprised when the Commanders released veteran defensive back and special teams ace Troy Apke.
Asked about the move on Thursday, special teams coach Nate Kaczor appreciated what Apke had done for the team, but gave a reason why it was time to move on.
"Troy is a player that has played good for us, but we just felt like at this time that there were players competing for that spot," Kaczor said. "We appreciate what Troy has done."
Another game is another chance to evaluate the roster, and the Commanders have certainly seen a lot of changes since we last saw them compete.
What else will change? Only time will tell, and a dress rehearsal against the Kansas City Chiefs offers an opportunity to test out a lot of concepts surrounding what this team thinks it can be.
