Top 5 newcomers for the Detroit Lions in 2023

2. RB Jahmyr Gibbs

A tough outing in Week 17 dropped him a bit, but Gibbs was leading the league with a yards per carry average of 5.7 entering last week. Entering Week 18, he's still tied for first among running backs at 5.4 yards per carry .

Gibbs also has 10 total touchdowns this season (nine rushing), with 52 receptions and over 1,200 yards from scrimmage despite missing two games. He has just 33 fewer rushing yards than fellow first-round rookie running back Bijan Robinson, on 34 fewer carries in two fewer games (one fewer game if you want to count the game Robinson barely played in because he wasn't feeling well).

Gibbs was eased into action early in the season, which made sense as he got acclimated to the NFL so he could hone his instincts as a runner and put his physical skills fully on display eventually. It was also part of the plan for the Lions, with the luxury of being able to lean on David Montgomery.

Since returning from his two-game absence in Week 7, Gibbs has played close to more than 60 percent of the Lions offensive snaps in all but two games (and one of those was a blowout). He has put up just shy of 1,000 yards from scrimmage (982), with all 10 of his touchdowns, over those 10 games.

Gibbs would be No. 1 on a list of 2023 newcomers for most NFL teams. But the Lions aren't most teams this year.