Detroit reached the NFC Championship Game for the first time in 32 years last season thanks to an explosive offense which boasted top-five league averages in passing, rushing and scoring.
With most of that offense returning in 2024, the Lions enter this upcoming season as full-fledged Super Bowl contenders for the first time in a long time, and the expected second-year growth of running back Jahmyr Gibbs as a pass-catcher might be the element which gets Detroit its first-ever Super Bowl appearance.
"What we need him to do from a passing game standpoint is go to that next level," Lions assistant head coach and running backs coach Scottie Montgomery said of Gibbs this week, via The Detroit Free Press. "I do think there's a certain difference between route running from the backfield and being a really, really sufficient and efficient check-down runner versus what it is to be a great route runner, a guy that can run all types of choice (routes). We know we've seen him do those things, but now can you go into the slot and do a little bit more down the field? Some intermediate stuff, can we continue to grow him there? And that's what we're trying to do."
Gibbs flourished as the team's change-of-pace rusher alongside David Montgomery during his stellar rookie season, averaging 5.2 yards per carry (945 yards) and finding pay dirt 10 times. Despite finishing third on the team in receptions (52), however, there was plenty left to be desired for Gibbs as a receiver with totals of 316 yards (6.1 yard average) and one touchdown.
The idea of Gibbs lining up in the slot, especially in a pre-snap motion scenario, is intriguing. The wrinkle would not only present a mismatch for whoever is tabbed to guard Gibbs, but could force opposing defenses into decisions which free up Lions playmakers elsewhere. Not to mention, it could be an effective ploy that allows an unexpected play call.
Add in the potential of Gibbs seeing more opportunities to utilize his breakaway speed in open space as a receiver, and there's a recipe for Detroit to maintain its offensive prowess.
"The next step, consistency (for) 17 games," Scottie Montgomery said. "We got to see Game 1, Game 2, Game 3, Game 4, we're past the point now where he's coming along, he understands this part of (pass) protection. No, he's there, he needs to understand that part of it and just the requirements that go along with it.
"Second part is we're talking about as far as what he can do. He was ready last year to start doing more and more and more. Our talent at other positions, at receiver, at tight end, sometimes it can all kind of work together so the ball's equally distributed."
Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who turned down head coaching jobs this offseason to remain in Detroit, could also get more creative by virtue of Gibbs' potential growth as a receiver. It would fulfill an offseason loss, too, with Josh Reynolds, who caught 40 balls for 608 yards and five touchdowns in 2023, taking his talents to Denver.
Gibbs' potential as an offensive X-factor should raise his stock in fantasy football circles, but having him grow as an all-around weapon is a concerted effort to avoid complacency and get the Lions over the hump.
"The tape says it," Montgomery said. "It's all over the tape. I think that when you have guys that are super talented, that going from good to great is probably the hardest thing you have to do, and what we're doing, a lot of people think about when you get to that level, 'Man, I've done a good job.' But right now they all feel like, 'Man, we weren't good enough,' and that's the way that we're going to fight complacency but it's also the way that we're going to take the next step and that is what we expect. We do need to see another step."
