Gibson could be in line to fill a three-down featured role out of the Washington backfield Sunday against Dallas with J.D. McKissic (concussion) inactive again.
While McKissic was sidelined in last week's win over Las Vegas, Gibson saw a big uptick in passing-down work. After playing no more than 20 percent of Washington's third downs in the team's first 11 games, Gibson was on the field for 57 percent of those scenarios Week 13, which helped him draw six targets, good for a 20 percent share of quarterback Taylor Heinicke's pass attempts on the day. Gibson accompanied the added pass-catching work with his typical high volume on the ground (23 carries for 88 yards), and with McKissic out for a second straight week, there's little reason to think Gibson's role will decrease in a major way. In fact, Gibson could have an even clearer path to reps on passing downs, as Wendell Smallwood wasn't elevated from the practice squad after he sustained an unspecified injury in the Week 13 win. Jaret Patterson and Jonathan Williams are left as the depth options behind Gibson, though neither profiles as a major pass-catching threat in the vein of McKissic or Smallwood.