Seamus Carr examines the overall profile for RB receiving sensation Jahmyr Gibbs and breaks down the impact an excellent training camp is having on the prices you should be willing to pay for one of 2023’s most dynamic rookies.
When Gibbs was drafted by the Detroit Lions with the 12th overall selection, it was a bit of a head-scratcher. The Lions used high draft capital to go after one of the top running back prospects a month after giving a relatively lucrative contract to David Montgomery in free agency. Not only that, but D’Andre Swift, the team’s leading receiving back, was still on the roster.
Not for long. A couple of days after the selection, Detroit shipped Swift off to Philadelphia, clearing the runway for a Gibbs takeoff.
A Perfect Fit in the Perfect Offense?
Gibbs is in a near-perfect situation with the Lions. The Advanced Team Stats Explorer tells us that Detroit was fourth in the league last season in terms of Points Earned Per Play from their passing game. Passing game? What? Doesn’t Gibbs play running back? While that’s true, the metric can give us a sense of the overall standing of the offense. Take a look at the top-10 offenses from last season in Points Earned Per Play.
With the exception of the Saints, this list makes up some of the best teams in the league last season as New Orleans and Detroit were the only non-playoff teams from the group. With QB Jared Goff, WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, and much of the young, talented offensive line still in place, it’s a fair assumption to place Detroit among one of the better offenses in 2023.
