-
Eric Woodyard, ESPN
ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell has signaled an increased role for rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs as the team moves forward.
“He’ll begin to get more touches now,” Campbell said.
As the Lions prepare for their home opener against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, FOX), Campbell has big plans for the No. 12 overall pick. Gibbs showcased his skills with 60 yards from scrimmage in his NFL debut against the Kansas City Chiefs last week, contributing to the Lions’ 21-20 victory over the reigning Super Bowl champions.
Now, the Lions want to see even more from their promising rookie.
“We will get Gibbs going as he gets more comfortable. We always have plays tagged for him going into the game, but we feel really strongly about [Lions running back] David [Montgomery] as well, so that whole combination, that one-two punch is really good for us,” said Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson on Thursday. “We had them both on the field at the same time a little bit last week. We’ll probably continue to do that over the course of the season, and we’ll see where Gibbs best suits us each week.”
Despite sharing carries with Montgomery, who rushed for 74 yards and a touchdown against Kansas City, Gibbs exhibited his electrifying potential with six broken tackles while averaging a team-best 6 yards per carry.
He concluded the game with seven carries for 42 rushing yards and two catches for 18 receiving yards, showcasing his versatility. Gibbs became the first Lions rookie running back to accumulate 60 scrimmage yards in a Week 1 game since Ameer Abdullah in 2015.
Pro Bowl offensive tackle Penei Sewell expressed his excitement, stating, “Super exciting. To see him out there for the first time with flying bullets and the lights on, he’s something special. I’m just thankful that he’s on our team and our side and definitely grateful that we get to watch him grow every day.”
Gibbs’ increased involvement in the offense should see him become a more valuable option in fantasy as well — an area he had to address recently while playing NBA 2K24 with former Alabama teammate Jase McClellan.
“The team I was playing, they knew it was me,” he shared with ESPN. “So I got in the game chat and was talking just to mess with them and stuff, and then they started talking about fantasy, and I’m like, ‘I’m leaving.’ They were saying, ‘Jah, only eight points?’ I was like, ‘I’ll be back.'”
Source: www.espn.com