Originally posted on Gridiron Heroics  |  By Matt Lombardo  |  Last updated 5/14/24

Junfu Ham-USA Today Sports

Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs flashed the explosiveness and elusiveness in the open field as a rookie that made it easy to see why general manager Brad Holmes chose him in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Gibbs capped his rookie campaign rushing for 945 yards and 10 touchdowns, averaging a whopping 5.2 yards per carry, all while splitting time in the backfield with veteran David Montgomery.

While Montgomery is back in the fold, Holmes says Gibbs’ encore could be even more impressive.

Detroit Lions’ Jahmyr Gibbs In Line for Expanded Carries in 2024

In addition to flirting with 1,000 rushing yards as a rookie, Gibbs proved that he can be a focal point in a Lions offense that established a propensity for big plays.

As Pro Football Focus points out, Gibbs rattled off an impressive 27 explosive runs, defined as 10 yards or more, while averaging a whopping 3.12 yards after contact per attempt.

This fall, expect to see an even more significant dose of Gibbs in the Lions’ offense.

“I definitely would expect him to see more of a load, but David Montgomery will still be here too,” Holmes said. “Dan and I love that 1-2 punch of him and David. But just speaking on, specifically, him being a rookie last year, even when he had some pops in that K.C. game in that opener, I was watching, I was like, ‘He’s still trying to get the feel of the game.’ He was playing very fast, and he actually kind of needed to slow down a little bit.

“But once he got that sweet spot, you kind of saw it in the Ravens game, which unfortunately we didn’t show up very well for that game, but that’s when you started seeing some glimpses of, ‘I think it’s coming, I think it’s coming,’ Then, obviously, that Raiders game where I believe everyone saw the breakout. . . . I think he has much more to offer in the passing game, so most likely you’ll see an increase in that as well.”

The Lions are considered among the favorites to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, for good reason, given the youthful explosiveness sprinkled throughout the roster assembled by Holmes. Gibbs is a marquee piece of that puzzle.

This article first appeared on Gridiron Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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