The Lions surprised many in the draft by making running back Jahmyr Gibbs the 12th overall pick. That might not be where the surprises will end.
Via Tim Twentyman of the team’s official website, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson tipped his hand a bit on Saturday regarding the manner in which the new weapon will be deployed.
“We might use Gibbs in some ways that people don’t quite think we might,” Johnson said.
The comment created plenty of fascination, especially among the fantasy football crowd. Some Lions fans likely would have preferred a little more discretion — unless the comment was a misdirection.
Currently, the Chiefs are preparing a plan for defending against the Detroit offense. That comment will likely prompt Steve Spagnuolo and company to prepare answers for the different ways Gibbs will be used.
Maybe it won’t matter. The chess-match aspect of football becomes irrelevant when one team has superior pieces. Gibbs, who was overlooked in all the Bijan Robinson hype, could be one such piece.
That said, how creatively can a running back be used? It was already expected he’d line up as a receiver. Unless the Lions plan on deploying the Wildcat with Gibbs playing quarterback (or having him play offensive line), there aren’t many things they can do with him that would be surprising.
