‘A special, special situation’: Why RB Jahmyr Gibbs’ three-headed skillset has the Lions excited for Year 2

ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Scottie Montgomery sat back and replayed the October 2023 play in his head.

The Detroit Lions running backs coach didn’t know it at the time. But three hours earlier, Montgomery’s protégé, Jahmyr Gibbs, had come up with the same play when considering which of his 234 rookie touches best reflected his NFL potential.

The Lions led by just 2 points against the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday Night Football when Jared Goff handed the ball to Gibbs, who began his pursuit more than 6 yards behind his quarterback.

Gibbs grabbed the ball and ran through the middle of the Raiders’ defensive line. Yes, through the middle. He didn’t cut right or left as he worked resolutely toward the end zone. Only after breaking through defender after defender did Gibbs veer right toward an open field.

He got it off the opposing safety and scored while standing, after which he jumped into the stands cheering.

Montgomery watched in admiration from the sidelines.

Did a rookie just hit the tight zone?

“It was a tight inside cut,” Montgomery told Yahoo Sports on Friday after the Lions’ meetings ended. “Most young backs bounce, but he decided not to bounce and he slid through. As soon as he slid through, he exploded down the right side and scored.

“That was one of those situations where we thought, ‘Okay, this is going to be a special, special situation.’”

Gibbs’ rookie year was indeed special. Forget the criticism the Lions received for drafting a running back in the first round — the 2023 12th overall pick needed a chance, but little time, to showcase his potential in every round.

Now, as he enters his second pro year on a roster that seems poised for something big, Gibbs isn’t just riding that wave of rookie success. Instead, he’s working, learning, and asking everyone around him how he can get better.

The Lions expect so.

“[It’s] “We’re coming together a lot quicker than we were last year,” Gibbs told Yahoo Sports. “More comfortable. I know the offense.”

From Jared Goff to Amon-Ra St. Brown, Gibbs assembles teachers

As Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown approaches, the questions begin.

What are you looking for? What visual cues are you getting? How do you expect the hook defender to react and what about the outside flat defender? How can I prevent the flat defender from pinching me?

Gibbs wants to know every answer.

He rushed for 2,132 yards and 15 touchdowns in three years at Georgia Tech and Alabama, and caught another 104 passes for 1,217 yards and eight touchdowns. But NFL coverage is more complex and involves more disguises. So when a young running back wants to dominate the passing game, it pays to ask questions.

Gibbs does this early and often.

He asks his quarterback when to be precise on routes and when to get creative; linemen point out how he can best help in pass protection, with center Frank Ragnow touting Gibbs’ third-down blitz pickups.

Coaches saw how many defensive looks Gibbs got during the first two months of his NFL career. As the novelty wore off, Gibbs’ snap counts jumped from 12 to 38 in the first four weeks of the season to more than 50 in Weeks 7 and 8.

“We were really impressed with his ability to transition from the classroom to the field,” Montgomery said. “That can sometimes slow a player down; it didn’t happen with him.”

As Gibbs became more comfortable with offensive coordinator Ben Johnson’s complex attacking game, his vision and acceleration improved and his yards per carry increased.

Gibbs’ 5.2 yards per carry ranks third among running backs, trailing only Christian McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers (5.4) and Jaylen Warren of the Pittsburgh Steelers (5.3).

Only running back David Montgomery scored more touchdowns (13) than Gibbs’ 11 from scrimmage, while four Lions players scored in double figures.

Gibbs’ 1,261 yards from scrimmage undermined the legitimacy of draft critics. His potential was apparent long before coaches thought he had reached his ceiling.

The Lions found an asset in Gibbs, and Gibbs fit in perfectly with the Lions.

“We are a run-based offense, mixed with play action and dropback.” [passing]”, said Gibbs.[Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson] really hangs his hat on running with the ball first, so he wants us to develop that. Because without the running game, [in the] when passing the game you could support everyone.

“He just knows how to run it. It’s crazy. He knows how to get everyone involved and he makes it successful.”

What could Gibbs mean now that the Lions are chasing the brightest lights?

The Lions’ offense has so many weapons that it’s easy to overlook Gibbs’ contribution to their success.

After all, he was part of the league’s best offensive line, according to Pro Football Focus, and a quarterback who threw for 4,575 yards (second) and 30 touchdowns (fourth) last year. His 97.7 passer rating is ninth best in the league.

There’s no doubt the Lions find success from a diverse group of players, and Johnson excels at deliberately confusing defenses.

How many different plays can the Lions run from the same formation? How many different moves can precede the same play?

Detroit wants to outsmart the club and outpace the competition as the franchise continues to exist.

But there are games, like the Lions’ Monday night game last season, where Goff plays well — he finished with 272 yards, a touchdown and an interception — and St. Brown’s 108 yards are grueling but lead to more field goals than touchdowns.

Gibbs had returned from a hamstring injury a few weeks earlier and was ready to punish Las Vegas in the air and on the ground, ultimately racking up 189 yards on 31 touches.

But his late run in the third quarter wasn’t just the result of a game-high 27-yard play, nor was it “just” the touchdown that extended the Lions’ lead to multiple scores.

It was also an energy boost for the Lions when they saw the boundless energy Gibbs showed in rushing forward.

Montgomery saw more than just a play: he saw a professional character trait born of the talent of a player fresh out of college.

He would see it again when Gibbs stopped a Vikings backside linebacker from messing up a play and later, in the playoffs, when he made a timely block against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Expect Gibbs’ combination of unconventional running, growing repertoire of receiving moves and increasingly reliable pass-blocking resume to earn him even more snaps in his second year with Detroit than he did in his first.

Expect him to become a key figure in a Detroit franchise eager to show that last year’s NFC championship wasn’t a fluke. It was a sign.

The Lions saw each of the skills they wanted Gibbs to contribute during his rookie season, and now they want to deploy them with more consistency and difficulty.

“When they start reading the first level [of the defense] and filling the second level, which turns into explosives, it’s time,” Montgomery said of a running back’s ability to diagnose not only defensive linemen, but linebackers as well. “You take a lot of pride in watching the development from a mental flaws standpoint. Once the mental flaws are down to zero or almost zero, you feel comfortable with him playing.”