Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery has been the centerpiece of the team’s running game for the first two weeks of the season, but with a thigh injury likely to keep him out this week against the Atlanta Falcons, attention is turning to rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs.
The Lions’ first-round pick—12th overall—has had a minimal role in the running game through the first two games of his career. He’s carried the ball just 14 times (to Montgomery’s 37) and turned that into 59 yards. Instead, the Lions have utilized Gibbs more in the receiving game, lining him out as a receiver on a third of his snaps and targeting him 11 times.