The Detroit Lions clearly do (and should) have some plans for Jahmyr Gibbs, and the rookie back is looking forward to being an all-around weapon.
The Detroit Lions turned draft heads when they took Jahmyr Gibbs at No. 12 overall in April's draft. But they pretty clearly coveted him, and have plans for how they'll use him in tandem with free agent signing David Montgomery.
Reports of Gibbs' usage patterns at mandatory minicamp last week were worth keeping an eye on. Gibbs was being used all over the formation when media observed practice, in the backfield, in the slot, even out wide per Colton Pouncy of The Athletic (subscription required).
Via Ben Raven of MLive, the rookie running back talked about the way he's being used and building chemistry with Jared Goff.
"I love how they’re using me,” Gibbs said after minicamp. “That’s something I’ve been used to throughout high school, Georgia Tech, and I was at Bama, so I’m pretty used to being all around, learning different routes and concepts.
“He (Goff) comes and talks to me about routes, plays and how he wants me to run them, which can help our chemistry and just helps us get better.”"
#Lions rookie Jahmyr Gibbs says he "loves" how the team has used him in different areas on the field so far. He says QB Jared Goff "is a great person" who has communicated how he wants him to run routes and plays, which has helped their chemistry early.
— Eric Woodyard (@E_Woodyard) June 8, 2023
Jahmyr Gibbs ready and looking forward to being an all-around weapon in Lions offense
Gibbs added a punch line to how he expects to immediately impact the Lions' offense.
"Yeah, this offense was already a really great offense,” Gibbs said. “So, I think it’s me coming in. I think we could just be even more dominant."
Along with 926 rushing yards, as he averaged 6.1 yards per carry, Gibbs averaged 10.1 yards per catch for Alabama last season. His 44 receptions were the second-most by a running back in school history. Over two seasons before that, at Georgia Tech, he had 768 receiving yards and five touchdowns to go with averaging over five yards per carry in that span.
The Lions shouldn't force things his way, in the name of justifying where they took him in the draft. But merely by being more available than D'Andre Swift was, Gibbs could legitimately raise the level of the Detroit offense this year.