Brad Holmes: I expect Jahmyr Gibbs to carry a heavier load this year
Running back Jahmyr Gibbs showed the big-play ability that led the Lions to take him in the first round of the draft during his rookie season, but some might have liked to see more of him on the field.
Anyone in that group will be pleased to hear what General Manager Brad Holmes had to say about Gibbs this week. During an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, Holmes was asked about the role he envisions Gibbs playing this season.
Holmes said he and head coach Dan Campbell like to use multiple backs, but he predicted that Gibbs would take on more of the lead back responsibilities this time around.
“I definitely would expect him to see more of a load, but David Montgomery will still be here too," Holmes said. "Dan and I love that 1-2 punch of him and David. But just speaking on, specifically, him being a rookie last year, even when he had some pops in that K.C. game in that opener, I was watching, I was like, ‘He’s still trying to get the feel of the game.’ He was playing very fast, and he actually kind of needed to slow down a little bit . . . But once he got that sweet spot, you kind of saw it in the Ravens game, which unfortunately we didn’t show up very well for that game, but that’s when you started seeing some glimpses of, 'I think it’s coming, I think it’s coming,' Then, obviously, that Raiders game where I believe everyone saw the breakout. . . . I think he has much more to offer in the passing game, so most likely you’ll see an increase in that as well."
Gibbs was third among running backs with 5.2 yards per carry last season and a bigger helping of that kind of production should keep the Lions offense near the top of the league in 2024.
