The Lions head into training camp with a lot of excitement but plenty of questions. The Lions were one of the best teams in football last year and likely would have made a deep postseason run if not for a rash of defensive injuries. While much of that talent remains, both coordinators (Ben Johnson & Aaron Glenn) left to take head coaching jobs. With that loss of brainpower (particularly in Johnson’s case) many wondered if the innovation in Detroit would fade away. In a sign of good news for Lions fans, the latest report indicates that is not the case.
According to Pro Football Talk, under new OC John Morton, the Lions are continuing to make strategic changes to their offense. The report highlighted that Jahmyr Gibbs will be split out wide or into the slot far more often than in his first two seasons. While Gibbs was used as a receiver before, the expectation is that he will now be used a lot more than he was under Johnson.
Gibbs himself revealed the shift: “Nothing too much changed. So, a lot of the stuff is the same… but I’m being split out, I guess, like way more than I was the past two years… He [Morton] wants me be more… involved in it. So, that’s what he plans on doing.” This adjustment, reportedly a staple of Morton’s new playbook, takes direct aim at maximizing Gibbs’s rare skill as a receiver.
The data supports such a move.When comparing the league’s top receiving backs, Austin Ekeler, De’von Achane, Alvin Kamara, and Gibbs himself, Gibbs was lined up in the slot on just 10% of his passing snaps, well behind his peers. Yet, when given the chance, Gibbs produced more yards per reception (just over 10 yards) than any of them, including names considered the NFL’s best receiving threats out of the backfield.
Gibbs’s usage under Ben Johnson, while certainly effective, did not appear 100% suited to accommodate the talents he showed at Georgia Tech and Alabama. In college Gibbs was renowned for his receiving skills: his lowest college season receiving grade (per PFF) was better than his best season as a pure runner. He averaged over three yards per route run, a number that ranks among the best for any position group, not just among running backs.
Detroit’s plan to move Gibbs into a receiver-heavy role is being compared to the creative deployments that made Alvin Kamara a superstar in his early Saints days. Gibbs could even outpace Kamara’s best seasons if the Lions keep him involved as both runner and receiver. Gibbs was already feared as an elite rusher. Adding Kamara-esque receiving usage will elevate him and the Lion’s offense even further.
This strategic shift also underlies Morton’s feelings and plan for quarterback Jared Goff. While Goff certainly played well in 2024, his passing grade only ranked 13th in the NFL. The Lions offense was seemingly centered more around Ben Johnson’s creativity and less around the QB. Now it appears that Detroit is shifting their focus to their experienced signal caller. Using Gibbs as receiver will create matchup nightmares for Goff to exploit in-game. Prior greats such as Tom Brady and Drew Brees used RBs split out as a tool to read and dissect defenses. Goff will now have the opportunity to do the same.
Even as the rest of the NFC expects the Lions to take a step back, Detroit is betting that the best way to maintain its edge is to keep evolving. This is obviously a smart bet and the right approach. Don’t be surprised if the Lions once again field the league’s most feared attack, with Jahmyr Gibbs leading the way as the NFL’s next true hybrid superstar.
Disclaimer: The content of this article was originally published as a YouTube video on the Saturday Morning Inspection YouTube channel. With AI assistance, the publisher of the video created this article based on the content of that video.
