The Detroit Lions have one of the best one-two punches at running back in the league with David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, both of whom combined for nearly 2,000 rushing yards and almost 2,400 scrimmage yards last season.
Montgomery started off his first campaign with the Lions as the clear lead back in the offense, but things evened out as the season went on and Gibbs proved to be one of the more exciting young players at his position in the NFL.
Looking ahead to 2024, it appears Gibbs’ workload will increase, as general manager Brad Holmes said on the “Rich Eisen Show” recently.
“I definitely would expect (Gibbs) to see more of a load, but David Montgomery will still be here, too,” Holmes said. “Dan [Campbell] and I love that one-two punch of him and David… I think he’s got much more to offer in the passing game, so most likely you’ll see an increase in that, as well.”
#Lions GM Brad Holmes on Jahmyr Gibbs:
“I definitely would expect him to see more of a load, but David Montgomery will still be here, too. Dan [Campbell] and I love that 1-2 punch of him and David… I think he’s got much more to offer in the passing game, so most likely you’ll… pic.twitter.com/RXisJIVXZa
— The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex) May 13, 2024
Holmes went into detail about how Gibbs actually needed to slow down a bit early on in his rookie season in terms of letting the game come to him more, something the Alabama product admitted to.
Drafting Gibbs in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft was a bit of a head-scratcher when it first happened, as not only was the No. 12 pick very early to take a running back, the Lions had just signed Montgomery earlier in the offseason.
But questions about the pick have been washed away rather quickly after Gibbs’ electric first season in which he tallied 1,261 yards from scrimmage and 11 touchdowns — and Lions fans certainly won’t mind seeing more of him in 2024.
