Report: Patriots RB Antonio Gibson is out for the season with a torn ACL
Gibson is the only player in the league with a kick return touchdown so far this season.
Patriots running back Antonio Gibson is expected to miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL after an MRI was performed on Monday, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.
Gibson left New England’s 23-20 win against Buffalo after being hit in the knee during a kick return in the second quarter.
Through five weeks of play, Gibson was the only player in the NFL with a kick return touchdown this season.
He scored on a 90-yarder in Week 2 during the Patriots’ win against the Dolphins. It was an immediate answer to the 75-yard punt return touchdown that Malik Washington scored on the play before.
The Patriots’ running back group also takes a hit with Gibson’s absence. He provided depth behind Rhamondre Stevenson, who has had an issue with fumbling the ball recently.
Rookie TreVeyon Henderson could be in for a bigger role with Gibson out.
“I think he’s just continuing to see things out there in a different run scheme,” head coach Mike Vrabel said of Henderson. “So, under center, in the gun, we’ve tried to find him.
“We’ll have some more stuff for him and everybody else that can help us. I’d like to have him get going on a kickoff return,” Vrabel added. “We were close, one block away on three different kickoff returns. So, there’s a lot of ways for us to get all those guys involved.”
Gibson, a 2020 third-round draft choice, is in his sixth season out of Memphis. He had a 1,000 yard season with the Commanders in 2021, and has been a productive role player since joining the Patriots in 2024.
The Patriots are down to just two running backs, Stevenson and Henderson, following Gibson’s injury. They’ll likely need to add another one soon. It’s not yet clear whether they’ll promote Terrell Jennings from the practice squad, or add a running back from elsewhere.
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