In the Detroit Lions backfield, the "Thunder and Lightning" duo of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs worked very well last year. Both had double-digit rushing scores, and Gibbs nearly made it that both had 1,000 rushing yards.
In the draft, the Lions added Sione Vaki to the equation. He primarily played safety during his time at Utah, but his productive run as a running back last season has him making the transition to that position in the NFL. The raw talent is certainly there, though Vaki immediately served a full time special teamer in Week 1 (18 special teams snaps).
Vaki played just two offensive snaps in the season opener, which will be par for the course with Montgomery and Gibbs ahead of him on the depth chart. If Gibbs' role as a receiver is widened as professed during the offseason (slot snaps?), the idea of he and Montgomery on the field at the same time is intriguing.
Lions looking at having two running backs on the field together?
No coach is going to reveal any kind of detailed strategy publicly. But it is certain that Lions' offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is always looking for edges he can gain.
During his press conference this week, via John Maakaron of SI.com, Johnson addressed the idea of having two running backs on the field together.
"Probably the starting point for that one is that not many teams do that. Not many teams play with the two half-backs on the field, so when you go into a game, you don’t know exactly what you’re going to get. Are you going to get base, are you going to get nickel, what personnel group are they going to come out with? And when there’s those unknowns, it’s hard to hone in on how you want to attack them like that, So, because there’s not a whole lot of evidence on tape, I think that scares most teams."
"I think last week we had a couple where we had (Lions RB Sione) Vaki on the field with another half-back, so that’s another version of kind of what you’re talking about. But we’ve thought about it. Each week our packages change. There will be weeks when we have five receivers on the field at the same time. There will be weeks where we feature the jumbo tight end. There will be weeks where we want to go with our two half-backs. But each week it’s a little bit different.”
Gibbs dealt with a hamstring issue during training camp, it's fair to say some caution was exercised with him in Week 1. From here things could evolve, up to and including having him share the field with Montgomery sometimes. Or whatever other two-back combination Johnson might cook up if it makes sense.