Allen Park — Jahmyr Gibbs, the floor is yours.
One season after the Detroit Lions increased his role in the offense, the team doubled down on making him a focal point by trading David Montgomery to the Houston Texans this offseason.
The addition of Isiah Pacheco, who had some good seasons earlier in his career, left many wondering how the split would be compared to what it was with Gibbs and Montgomery. Lions coach Dan Campbell said Thursday that Gibbs will be expected to do it all.
“He’s going to be our bell cow now,” Campbell said before an OTA practice. “He really became more of that last year, but we’re going to hang our hat on him quite a bit.”
Gibbs’ larger workload — and Montgomery’s decreased workload — was one of the biggest storylines last season. Montgomery led the duo in carries, 219-182, during the first season together in 2023. Gibbs took the lead in 2024 by a margin of 250-185 when Montgomery missed the final four games with an MCL injury.
But with both healthy last season, Gibbs took a much larger slice, racking up 243 carries compared to 158 for Montgomery as both players appeared in all 17 games. Sensing that Montgomery wasn’t happy with the circumstances, Detroit moved him in a trade with the Texans this offseason.
Gibbs said being the guy is “nothing I’m not used to.”
“Growing up, I’ve always been the person that (wants) everyone’s carries,” Gibbs said. “I’m not looking at it any different than any other year.”
Part of the motivation for letting Gibbs have the backfield to himself is his ability to do everything at a high level.
“I’ve mentioned this before, he can run everything that we’ve got. He can run every scheme that anybody’s ever run,” Campbell said. “He’s not just an outside runner. He is not just a space runner. He can create his own space in the middle, and some of his biggest runs have been gap scheme, right down the pipe, where he’s had patience and found it and guys blocked it up well.”
Despite being one of the most impactful offensive players in all of football last season, Gibbs is looking to have somewhat of a bounce-back year. Though he had his fair share of explosive runs, the Lions’ offensive line struggles led to an inefficient rushing attack overall.
Gibbs had a career low in rushing success rate (46.5%) and his season-long numbers dropped across the board compared to 2024. He had 18 touchdowns from scrimmage compared to 20 the previous year, his yards per carry dropped from 5.6 to five, and his rushing yards per game went to 71.9 from 83.1.
Asked where Gibbs can grow the most from last season to this one, new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing said, “it can change as we go.”
“I think a lot of it is going to be dictated by what we’re good at as a unit,” Petzing said. “Where are we the best, where are we the most effective? Who are we playing and how do we utilize his skill set to build on that? I mean, he does so many things at a high level that I don’t think there’s necessarily a ceiling or a cap on what that could look like.”
The belief that Gibbs is destined for a monster year extends beyond the team’s headquarters in Allen Park. Gibbs is the odds-on favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year (+750) on Draft Kings.
“We expect him to have a big year for us,” Campbell said. “We’re going to put a lot on his plate in the run and pass game.”
nbianchi@detroitnews.com
@nolanbianchi
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Jahmyr Gibbs expected to be Lions’ ‘bell cow’ running back in 2026
Reporting by Nolan Bianchi, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Nolan Bianchi, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
