March 16th, 2023, Lions fans exploded with excitement when they heard the news of running back David Montgomery signing a three-year deal with Detroit. Fans believed the misuse of Montgomery on the Bears was going to shine into the offensive scheme of Detroit, but confusion arose when the 2022-23 NFL draft came around.
No one expected the Lions’ first pick to turn out how it did.
The Lions held two first-round picks during the draft, which were the twelfth overall and the eighteenth overall, but during their first pick, fans became confused with the choice. The Lions selected running back Jahmyr Gibbs from the University of Alabama. The Lions now held onto two workhorse backs that no fans knew how they would be used.
Many thought Gibbs would be the ultimate starter going forward into the brand-new season, but that simply wasn’t the case. The coaching staff of Detroit revealed that Montgomery would be starting in the backfield for Detroit. Gibbs barely saw the field during his first career game, where he only had seven carries and two targets. The same pattern followed during the next couple of games. In week two, he was given the same workload with seven carries but helped the receiving out by getting seven. In week four against the Packers, he was given eight carries with four receptions.
Things took a turn for Gibbs after week four. Gibbs suffered a hamstring strain that caused him to miss week five against the Panthers and week six against the Buccaneers.
Things came full circle for Gibbs.
During week six, starting running back David Montgomery went down with a rib injury he had been suffering for multiple years that dated back to his time on the Chicago Bears. After this, Gibbs was set to return, and he had the breakout fans were just looking for.
After week five and week six post-injury, the Baltimore Ravens came around, and he surprised many. Despite the Ravens smothering Detroit, Gibbs had the best game of his NFL career so far. He had 11 carries with nine receptions all for 68 yards and one touchdown. Now, this may not seem like a lot, but it was the most work he had received all season long.
Things didn’t stop there for Gibbs.
The following week, Gibbs was set to start against the Vegas Raiders and showed out. He had 152 yards and a touchdown with five receptions to accommodate. This single game was the best of his career so far.
Last week, against the Chargers, Montgomery was set to return, and many thought he would return to his normal workload that he had received at the beginning of the season, but that simply wasn’t the case. With Montgomery in the lineup, Gibbs managed to secure the running back spot. Gibbs out-snapped Montgomery with a 58% snap share, while Montgomery only had a 38%.
Currently, he is in rookie of the year contention and will continue to produce as the season goes on.
