Lions HC Dan Campbell said Friday that RB Jahmyr Gibbs' low snap count in the opener vs. the Chiefs was by design. "He'll begin to get more touches now, so that was just the beginning last night," Campbell added. Gibbs certainly looked like a guy deserving of more touches on Thursday night, averaging 6.0 yards per carry and 9.0 yards per catch. The rookie can stay in Week 2 fantasy lineups as a borderline RB2. We'll see how quickly his volume grows.
Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs worked clearly behind RB David Montgomery in Thursday night's opener vs. the Chiefs. The rookie tallied seven carries and two targets to Montgomery's 21 carries. That's the bad news. The good news? Gibbs looked like the most explosive player in the game, ripping off a 17-yard run and an 18-yard catch. “You can almost hear the acceleration,” NBC's Chris Collinsworth said. Montgomery's reliability is certainly valued by the Lions coaching staff, but we fully expect Gibbs' role to grow from here. Consider him a lower-end RB2 in the short term. But Gibbs could still be a difference-maker later this season. Consider sending a trade offer to the Gibbs owner in your league if he or she is disappointed by this first game.
Speaking with NFL Network's Peter Schrager, Lions GM Brad Holmes assessed his new backfield. "When you look at it systematically, I do think we'll be better offensively," Holmes said. "That's no knock on the contributions that those other two guys gave us. [D’Andre] Swift is a dynamic player and Jamaal [Williams] was a great leader for us, and he did so much for us. He had a great season. But I think [David] Montgomery and Jahmyr [Gibbs] are different backs. Montgomery does a little bit more in the passing game. And being able to add Gibbs, he's just so dynamic as a receiver. Look, he's a home run hitter as a running back, that's the easy part. What he does as a receiver -- he runs routes like a receiver." Holmes added that Gibbs is a “special weapon” who reminds him of Christian McCaffrey and Marshall Faulk. See where both Lions sit in our 2023 RB rankings.
The Lions selected Alabama RB Jahmyr Gibbs with the 14th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. The former Georgia Tech speedster took a chance on himself in 2022 by transferring to SEC powerhouse Alabama. The gamble paid off as Gibbs led the Crimson Tide with 44 receptions and ranked 4th on the team in receiving yards (444). Oh, and he’s an excellent runner as well. Some will question how much of a rushing workload he’ll be able to manage at the NFL level given his 5’9, 199-pound frame, but don’t count Gibbs out because of his size. He shows excellent vision at the 2nd and 3rd levels of the field, possesses plenty of speed (4.36-second 40-yard dash time), and has a keen sense of timing cuts against potential tacklers. This move makes it likely that the Lions will move on from D’Andre Swift. Gibbs would then enter a clear change-of-pace role behind David Montgomery while handling a healthy receiving role. Current projections have him for 56 receptions.
Alabama RB Jahmyr Gibbs measured in at 5’9, 199 pounds at the NFL Combine on Sunday. Though he’s slightly shorter than he was listed in college (5'11), the Crimson Tide product wowed in drills. Gibbs recorded the 2nd-fastest official 40-yard dash time (4.36) with a stellar 1.52-second 10-yard split. Sub-200-pound RBs may give fantasy managers some pause, but Gibbs’ speed and agility displayed in both running and pass-catching on Sunday shouldn’t impact his draft stock. We’re still looking at him as a top-2 back in this 2023 class.
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