ALLEN PARK — In Jahmyr Gibbs’ first three seasons with the Detroit Lions he was paired with veteran running back David Montgomery. Coach Dan Campbell called them the two-headed monster. They were close on and off the field.
Since the Lions traded Montgomery to the Houston Texans in March, Gibbs is now THE guy.
“He’s going to be our bell cow now. He really became more of that last year, but we’re going to hang our hat on him quite a bit. We’re going to do a lot of things we feel he does well,’’ Campbell said on Thursday prior to the Lions offseason workout.
Gibbs is good with the change, he’s used to carrying a load just like he did at Alabama before he was the Lions’ first-round pick in 2023.
“Growing up I’ve always been the person that’s always had the most carries,’’ Gibs said. “I’m not looking at it any different than any other year.’’
He said his preparation for the season will remain the same with consistency as the key.
Last season Gibbs started all 17 games and finished with 13 rushing and 5 receiving touchdowns. He carried the ball 243 times for 1,223 yards, averaging 5.0 yards per carry. He also had 77 receptions for 616 yards.
Expect to possibly see him running more routes come September.
“I’ve mentioned this before he can run everything we’ve got, he can run every scheme that anybody has ever run,’’ Campbell said. “He’s not just an outside runner, he’s not just a space runner, he can create his own space in the middle. Some of his biggest runs have been gap schemes right down the pike where he’s had patience and found it and guys blocked it up.’’
One other change for Gibbs is new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing who replaced John Morton who was let go. Campbell called the offense on game days to end last season.
“He’s really smart, he’s really strategic,’’ Gibbs said of Petzing. “He demands a lot of his players but he knows we can do it so that’s what he puts on us. It’s going to be fun.’’
The running back room has added new faces including veteran Isiah Pacheco who spent the last four seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs.
“He’s got a lot of juice, he’s very energetic, he’s a fun person to be around, he plays really hard,’’ Gibbs said of Pacheco. “He wants to do anything for the team that Dan tells him to do.’’
NOTES: Campbell announced that rookie WR Kendrick Law, a fifth-round pick, tore his ACL in practice on Tuesday and will be out for the season. The Lions added WR Kyre Duplessis to the roster.
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