Jahmyr Gibbs Now Leads Lions Running Back Room

Gibbs primed for big role in Lions' run game.

Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (26). / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Detroit Lions will be without a key piece of their running back room for the foreseeable future.

In David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, the Lions found a 1-2 punch that allowed the offense to keep defenses off balance and their run game supplied with fresh backs. However, Montgomery is now out of action with a knee injury, leaving Gibbs to handle the leading share of carries moving forward.

Gibbs has proven capable of taking on a leading role. In his second NFL season, he ranks sixth in the league with 1,047 rushing yards.

“It’s definitely exciting," Gibbs said. "But my goal is to win, so if that means not getting as many carries or getting all the carries, as long as we win I’m good.” 

The former first round pick will not change his mindset drastically, now that he is tasked with being Detroit's lead running back.

Gibbs expressed, “I mean basically the same, nothing different. I’ve been doing this my whole life so I don’t look at it any different."

Montgomery has not been placed on injured reserve as the team awaits a third opinion on the severity of his MCL injury. Through the past several days, he has remained in good spirits according to teammates and coaches.

Running backs coach Scottie Montgomery said he left a visit with the injured running back feeling better and uplifted, while Gibbs said he received a text from the veteran imploring him to "Keep hoopin'."

Behind Gibbs, the Lions are expecting to allow competition to play out for opportunities. Craig Reynolds, Sione Vaki and practice squad running back Jermar Jefferson could all see time based on how they perform in practice leading up to Sunday's game.

“Jermar Jefferson is a guy that I’m very proud of coming out of camp," Scottie Montgomery said. "I thought this guy had tremendous value. Sione had tremendous value, Craig had tremendous value. They have an unbelieveable opportunity today in practice to compete against each other for some of these opportunities. There are a little bit more opportunities.

"Of course, we’ll continue to make sure Jahmyr gets a little bit more of the action, but those three guys will have a good chance to compete today for what’s gonna happen on Sunday," Montgomery continued. "I really like the fact that they’re gonna go out there and practice hard and we’ll get to evaluate them again. It’s not just about their history or body of work, it’s about right now.” 

Montgomery explained that Gibbs doesn't need a plethora of carries to get going thanks to his big-play ability. Going throughout the week and into Sunday's game, the team will coordinate a plan for how to best utilize him from a snap count perspective.

"It's about how we progress moving forward, and then also getting guys ready. So there's a part of that as well that you got to get guys ready," Montgomery said. "So you don’t want to go out there and give him 60 reps. If we can get him down in the 40s, in his reps, and then supplement some of those things that we do with the other guys, it'd be great for us. But touches, he doesn't need a lot of touches in some situations to get big yardage.”

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Reynolds has the most experience amongst the three options behind Gibbs, having played in 45 games for the Lions over the last three years. Vaki offers intriguing potential as a rookie, while Jefferson has remained with the organization despite not playing in a game since 2022.

Montgomery equated Jefferson's journey to being in the final round of a boxing match for three years. The Oregon State product has been with Detroit since being drafted in 2021, but has not been on the active roster since being an elevation in the final regular season game of the 2022 season.

As a rookie in 2021, Jefferson rushed for 74 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries before suffering a season-ending injury. Now, despite being cut at the conclusion of training camp for the past three seasons, he's remained with the Lions' organization in search of opportunities such as what he could earn on Sunday.

"I feel like that's accurate," Jefferson said of Montgomery's sentiment. "Some days, mentally, my mind — I'm gonna have on and off days. But most of the time my mind stays positive, and I'mma fight. I'm a fighter."

There is an array of confidence in the group as a whole. With 21 players on injured reserve currently, the Lions have been forced to rely on depth players at various positions. They've embraced the 'Next Man Up,' mentality in those situations, so the running back spot will be no different.

"Absolutely, yeah. Those guys have, not Sione, but the other two guys (Reynolds and Jefferson) have been here for years and know our system and know everything and can handle it," said quarterback Jared Goff. "And Sione will be just fine when he steps in there as well. But those two guys in particular are veterans, and we trust them and can’t wait to see what they do.”