New Detroit Lions coordinator John Morton will add his own stamp to an explosive offense. One of those new wrinkles could be getting running back Jahmyr Gibbs the ball more in the passing game.
Last week, the star running back said that he had to learn the wide positions during offseason practices more than in his first two seasons. Gibbs said Morton wants him "more involved" in the passing attack.
"I gotta learn the formations for being split out," Gibbs said, via WXYT Detroit. "I'm being split out like way more than I was the past two years. That's good. That's going to be fun. I've been waiting on that."
Since making Gibbs the No. 12 overall pick in 2023, the Lions have consistently talked about the game-breaker as more than just a runner. Using the RB as a pass catcher who can motion out wide has been chatted about each of the past two offseasons. Through two campaigns with Ben Johnson calling plays, Gibbs caught a combined 104 passes on 134 targets for 833 yards with five receiving TDs.
Last season, Gibbs spent 568 of his 638 snaps in the backfield, per Pro Football Focus. The RB took 32 snaps from the slot and 38 out wide -- both of those figures down from 2023, when he took 48 slot snaps and 46 out wide.
Entering Year 3, Gibbs is primed to become a focal point of the offense. A game breaker who can make a house call on any touch, feeding the dynamic player the pigskins should be a priority for the new OC. However, Dan Campbell's club won't completely forget about David Montgomery. Getting both RBs on the field more becomes a natural solution. In those instances, splitting Gibbs out wide can provide mismatches for the Lions offense, particularly if he's matched up on a linebacker in space.
