Tag: Graham Glasgow

Graham Glasgow’s decline forces the Lions into a tough spot at guard

Graham Glasgow had the worst blown block and pressure rate of any guard in the NFL in 2024

Anyone who watched the Detroit Lions play down the stretch could see that the once-mighty offensive line just wasn’t playing to its typical standard. That was especially true of left guard Graham Glasgow.

It wasn’t a strong season for the 32-year-old Michigan man. His move from right guard to left to replace Jonah Jackson didn’t fare as well as hoped. Blown blocks, which aren’t exactly position-specific, were a particular problem.

In the graphic below from Stat Account, blown blocks and pressure rates for interior offensive linemen are charted. The upper right quadrant is where the best players are, a realm where right guard Kevin Zeitler prominently resides. The farther down and to the left, the worse it gets.

 

 

Glasgow’s prominence to the far left and near the bottom validates the Pro Football Focus grades he earned during the season. The veteran earned a PFF overall game score over 55.1 just twice in the final seven games; 60.0 is considered a below-average performance. Against Washington, Glasgow earned an absurdly low 10.2 score in pass protection, giving up nine QB pressures and a sack–the strip-sack on Jared Goff that created a takeaway for the Washington defense.

In his first year back from Denver, Glasgow was strong in 2023 as Detroit’s starting right guard–notably in the run game. His 2024 campaign was a lot more like his final year in Denver in 2022. Glasgow ranked 68th out of 77 guards graded by PFF who played at least 250 snaps in 2024. In his last Broncos season, when he ranked dead last in PFF overall grades amongst qualifying guards and centers.

The pattern is troubling. Glasgow is due $5.5 million in 2025 and $6.5 million in 2026, which is starter salary. Zeitler, who turns 35 in March, is a free agent. The Lions got impressive work from rookie Christian Mahogany in limited time, enough that it’s reasonable to expect him to start in 2025. Mahogany is a natural right guard, though he filled in capably at left guard.

Glasgow is also the de facto backup for center Frank Ragnow. He still brings value and merit as the top reserve interior offensive lineman, albeit a fairly expensive one. The drop in his play with no notable injuries (in Detroit) is concerning enough that the Lions need to actively look to replace him in the starting lineup. If he fights off that challenge, and don’t put it past a proud vet like Glasgow to make that happen, it’s an even better scenario for the Lions.

Film review: Lions Graham Glasgow played his worst game of the season against the Bills

Film review: Lions Graham Glasgow played his worst game of the season against the Bills

Coming off the best season of his career, it looked like Graham Glasgow really found his groove as he returned to Detroit. He played so well last season that the Lions gave him a three-year contract extension worth $20 million dollars, that included $9.5 million guaranteed.

Last season, he played almost 1200 snaps (highest in his career) and his performance earned an overall grade of 75.1 from Pro Football Focus (PFF). In pass protection, Glasgow allowed 46 pressures, 35 hurries, eight QB hits, and three sacks in 2023.

Moving onto 2024, the Lions signed guard Kevin Zeitler and that forced Glasgow to move to left guard. Unfortunately, this move has been less than ideal for Glasgow. Up to this point in the season, his blocking grades are way down from where they were a season ago.

According to PFF, Glasgow has earned a run blocking grade of 56.2, pass blocking grade of 54.5 and a 55.9 overall grade. Through 941 offensive snaps played, he’s already given up 33 pressures, seven QB hits and four sacks. Meanwhile, he earned the lowest offensive grade for any Lions player on offense against the Bills. His 34.3 overall grade against Buffalo was his lowest grade on the season. Let’s dive into some film and see what some of the issues were for Glasgow in week 15!

 

Starting with the first play that stands out on tape is this one between Graham Glasgow and Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver. Looking at the play above, you’ll see the Lions coming out of an empty formation. Once the ball is snapped, you’ll see Glasgow getting out of his stance at left guard.

Right out of his stance, his base looks a bit wide but furthermore, his pad level is far too high. Especially when playing against a defensive lineman with the blend and power that Ed Oliver possesses. Revealing too much of his chest, Glasgow starts getting blown off the ball.

From there, he’s never able to regain control or anchor against this bullrush from Oliver. This forces Goff to get sacked and ultimately, he fumbles the football in the process. The more I look at this rep, the more concerned I get with the right knee of Glasgow especially when seeing him sit out of practice all week with a knee injury.

 

Moving to a more positive play, there’s still plenty of good technical work from Glasgow on tape. Looking at the play above, the Lions throw out of a shotgun formation that features TE Sam LaPorta being sent on an exit motion prior to the snap.

Once the ball is snapped, you’ll see Goff spin out of some pressure before resetting his feet and throwing a pass to WR Allen Robinson. Despite the pass being broken up, one thing worth watching is LG Graham Glasgow. You’ll see him slide to his right and in the process, he picks up the defensive tackle that is aligned as a zero shade over the center.

In the process, Glasgow hits the defender and as he looks to reset his hands, he executes a snatch-trap technique. This pulls the defender to the ground and it helps keep an additional defender away from the quarterback.

Bills DT Ed Oliver generated a season-high 10 pressures on 42 pass rush snaps against the Lions. That’s the most pressures in a game by a defensive tackle this season, per Next Gen Stats. Additionally, Oliver generated 7 of those pressures against Glasgow.

Overall, there’s no need to hit the panic button with Glasgow, but I would proceed with caution, especially since he’s popped up on the injury report with a knee injury this week. Certainly, he’s allowed a bad day at the office but his performance against the Bills is concerning.

Meanwhile, there’s been growing concern over the last month as Glasgow has been playing his worst football of the season. That’s significant as the Lions enter the most important 3-game stretch of their season. With him being a veteran player, there are reasons to believe he can turn it around. Unfortunately, if there aren’t improvements soon, the Lions could be turning to a new left guard sooner rather than later.

 

The Lions injury report from Thursday shows considerable improvement

The Lions injury report from Thursday shows considerable improvement, with several players returning after missing Wednesday’s session

It’s still not nearly as clean as hoped for, but the Detroit Lions practice participation report for Thursday’s session looks a lot more promising than Wednesday’s first edition.

After nine players were idle on the first practice of Week 16, all but three returned in some capacity to Thursday’s practice. Two of the three who remained out are starting offensive linemen, however.

Left guard Graham Glasgow and center Frank Ragnow both remain sidelined. Glasgow is listed with a knee injury, while Ragnow has a back malady. The injury status could help explain the substandard performances from both in the Week 15 loss to Buffalo.

The other player remaining out is running back David Montgomery, who is expected to miss the rest of the season with an MCL injury. Montgomery and the Lions are still in the evaluation process on how to handle his torn knee ligament.

Safety Brian Branch upgraded from out with a listed calf issue on Wednesdsay to full participant on Thursday.

Five players who rested on Wednesday returned in full:

LT Taylor Decker
WR Amon-Ra St. Brown
DT DJ Reader
RG Kevin Zeitler
EDGE Za’Darius Smith

It was also the first sighting of LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin. He’s been on I.R. for several weeks but has started his 21-day activation window. Reeves-Maybin, a key special teams player as well as subpackage LB, was limited with his neck injury.

Another player designated to return from I.R., safety Ifeatu Melifonwu made it through a second straight practice as a full participant. He’s missed the entire season with an ankle injury and a subsequent hand injury that forced the Lions to activate him — only to immediately place him back on I.R. His second activation window began on Monday.

 

 

Lions vs Cowboys: Monday postgame medical report for Detroit

Lions vs Cowboys: Monday postgame medical report for Detroit, including injuries to Aidan Hutchinson, Kyle Peko and more

These are the injuries I picked up on my initial watch. Unfortunately, there are two possible season-enders coming out of the Cowboys game.

Kyle Peko – left pec, 1q 7:55

Peko hurt his left pec during an attempted tackle. Pec tears can occur during an eccentric motion which occurred here when the runner broke away while Peko was trying to pull him in.

With how quickly Peko was ruled out, it hints there may have been a visible deformity of the pec on physical exam, which can signify a full pec tendon rupture and the likely end of his season. The best case scenario is a mild pec strain of the muscle body.

This is the third known pec strain/tear this year, along with Emmanuel Moseley and Frank Ragnow.

Penei Sewell – left leg, 2q 00:36

Video was obscured but he appeared to have his left leg rolled up on during David Montgomery’s TD run. It was a slow roll-up and didn’t look bad on video. He got up gingerly but didn’t miss any snaps.

Sewell was healthy enough to take a lateral to the house later in the game. Getting rolled up on can cause ankle or knee sprains but I’m not expecting anything significant here. We’ll see if he shows up on the Wednesday injury report.

Graham Glasgow – right shin cleated, 3q 13:18

Glasgow was visibly in pain after the play and was grabbing at his right shin. He didn’t miss a snap.

Close video review showed that he got cleated, leaving a mark on his shin which may have been a sock tear. Even if he has an underlying laceration, it’s no big deal and he’ll be fine.

Aidan Hutchinson – left tib/fib fracture, 3q 12:00

This is the big one. Early signs are good that he should make a full recovery in time for training camp with even an outside shot at the Super Bowl. With the Super Bowl less than 4 months away, Dan Campbell on Monday called Hutchinson’s timeline “4-6 months”.

Players will absolutely come back well before they are fully ready for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play in the Super Bowl. Terrell Owens in 2005 is a good example.

The bone will be completely healed so the risk will be minimal. But Hutchinson won’t have his usual strength, burst, or stamina, and won’t play his typical 90% of snaps. His effectiveness will be questionable, but if the team is willing to open up a roster spot for him, I would expect him to play. After that one game, he will have five months to recover.

See my full Hutchinson article for more details of his injury.

Carlton Davis – cleat to head, 3q 10:38

Davis had his helmet crunched and ripped off, and if that wasn’t enough, he took a wicked cleat to his bare head. Fortunately, it looks like he avoided any significant injury, although he didn’t return to the game.

He was seen hanging out on the sideline in good spirits the rest of the game which means he passed the concussion evaluation and there are no serious concerns. It looks like he avoided a laceration or any eye damage. I suspect he could have returned to the game if necessary, and I’m expecting him to be fine for next game.

OTHER NOTES

Frank Ragnow strained his left pec three weeks ago. He showed no signs of aggravating the injury in his first game back.

Kerby Joseph had a mild hamstring issue during the practice week but was able to play the whole game without obvious aggravation. Good news going forward.

Jared Goff tips off who is Frank Ragnow’s replacement at center

Jared Goff tips off who is Frank Ragnow’s replacement at center, and it’s not the person who played center all summer in Detroit

Frank Ragnow will not play against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 4, that much we’ve known. But there was some uncertainty about who would fill in at center for the All-Pro on Monday Night Football.

Lions quarterback Jared Goff ended any of that mystery during his Thursday media session. It will be Graham Glasgow, the team’s regular left guard — if Goff’s words are to be believed.

“Yeah, he’s the Swiss army knife,” Goff said of the veteran Glasgow. “He can kind of do it all. He’s played right guard, he’s played left guard this year, and now he’s playing center and it’s a luxury for us to have him, for sure.”

That sure sounds like Glasgow will be moving into the center spot, where he started three games in 2023 (Weeks 8, 12 and 13). He was Denver’s primary center in the 2022 season as well, though he’s spent most of his career and earned his top PFF grades playing guard.

The Lions did keep an actual center on the 53-man roster in Michael Niese, and Niese took all the fill-in first-team reps at center throughout training camp–not Glasgow. During a conversation I had with a member of the Lions coaching staff in August, the indication was that Niese was Plan B if Ragnow got hurt during the season.

Niese can also play guard, and sliding Glasgow into the pivot opens up a need for a starting left guard. The Lions have not revealed the plans there yet, but Kayode Awosika and Niese are the only current guards on the active roster. Rookie Christian Mahogany remains on the non-football illness list through at least the bye in Week 5. Colby Sorsdal, who played some guard as a rookie in 2023, has been moved back to full-time tackle this year.

Lions vs Seahawks: Thursday injury report medical breakdown

Lions vs Seahawks: Thursday injury report medical breakdown for both teams entering Week 4

Thursday is the first injury report since the game is on Monday. Thankfully, there were no further surprises on the Lions report this week. The Seahawks will be without their starting RT and possibly a few other impact players as well.

DETROIT LIONS

Brian Branch LP concussion, S

Good news that Branch is presumably asymptomatic based on the LP today. This puts him on track to pass through the NFL 5-step protocol and play Monday.

However, it still might be a good idea to give him a week off because of a hit he took in game one. In that game, Branch took a hard hit to the side of the head, was down briefly, but not diagnosed with a concussion.

While there were no external signs of a concussion to warrant a diagnosis, mild concussions may only have vague symptoms that require self-reporting like headache, nausea, and fogginess. Looking back, if he indeed had some concussion symptoms, then this would be two concussions in three weeks which might warrant some precaution.

Sam LaPorta NP ankle, TE

A right low ankle sprain didn’t stop LaPorta from intermittently returning to the game last week. He won’t be fully healed by Monday night, but I expect him to play.

Frank Ragnow NP pectoral, C

Ragnow strained his left pec early in the game but battled to the finish.

Dan Campbell stated Thursday: “We’re going to put Frank down this week”. After further clarification, Ragnow is apparently not being euthanized and could return for week six vs the Cowboys.

Alim McNeill LP shoulder, DT

Dan Campbell stated Thursday: “Alim’s doing better… he’s day to day, he’ll be out there running around today, so we’re pretty good there”.

Great news for McNeill to be practicing already after missing the entire 2nd half of the Cardinals game. He might have a left AC joint sprain with how he landed on the ground. Sounds like he’s in for Monday.

Alex Anzalone FP concussion, LB

Anzalone is firmly on track to play Monday. On the sidelines vs the Cardinals, he appeared mentally sharp while calling out defensive signals and pumping up the tens of thousands of Lions fans.

Dan Skipper NP ribs, OT

Skipper landed on a defender’s elbow which likely caused a right rib bruise/strain with a small chance of a fracture. Unless something unexpected showed on XR, I expect him to be available on Monday.

Ennis Rakestraw LP hamstring, CB

After hurting his hamstring in pregame of week two, Rakestraw has missed the past two games. Not putting him on IR meant that this was likely a short-term issue. He had 3x NP last week so it’s good to see an LP today which puts him on track to make his MNF debut.

Levi Onwuzurike LP knee, DL

Onwuzurike was hurt in the 1st quarter last game and there was no video of the injury. Medical appeared to be examining his right knee. He finished out the game without noticeable problems. With an LP early in the week, I expect him to play vs the Seahawks.

Ifeatu Melifonwu NP ankle, S

With an NP, he’s likely out this week. Hopefully, the bye will help Melifonwu’s ankle.

NOTABLES UNLISTED

Terrion Arnold was hit in the right knee area last game and was gimpy for a while on the sideline. He returned to the game and played well. Unlisted suggests there is no structural damage to the knee and he may have just had a contusion.

Graham Glasgow was a surprise listing last week with a knee but still played the entire Cardinals game. Good to see the knee is off the report.

Derrick Barnes was placed on IR after being hit in the right knee with a possible MCL sprain. He has a chance to return later this year.

Marcus Davenport was placed on IR due to a left elbow injury and reportedly is out for the year.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

Leonard Williams NP ribs, DE

Williams is one of the Seahawks star defenders having signed a three-year, $64.5 million contract in the offseason.

Byron Murphy NP hamstring, DT

Murphy was the 16th overall pick in the 2024 draft and has already been impactful in his rookie year. Reports are that he is expected to be out for this game.

Kenneth Walker LP oblique, RB

MSU and U of M fans are well aware of Walker’s capabilities. He missed last game but is expected to be ready for Monday night.

Uchenna Nwosu NP knee, LB

This impact LB for the Seahawks sprained his MCL in preseason on August 24 and has yet to play in the regular season. His target return was Monday night but with an NP, that makes it much less likely.

NOTABLES UNLISTED

George Fant, the starting RT, was placed on IR a few days ago due to a right knee injury. This will be the fourth straight game the Lions opponent is missing a starting OT.

The rest of the lengthy Seahawks report is here:

 

 

Lions vs Cardinals Wednesday injury report medical breakdown

Lions vs Cardinals Wednesday injury report medical breakdown of the Detroit players dealing with injuries

Despite a rather long injury report, the Lions head into the desert in pretty good shape. Anzalone is likely going to be out and Glasgow is a question mark, but otherwise, the Lions’ starters should be intact.

See my postgame report for videos and initial impressions of injuries coming out of the Bucs game.

DETROIT LIONS

Amon-Ra St. Brown FP quad, WR

Excellent news for Amon-Ra after hobbling at least three times during the game. Video showed a definite left thigh contusion and a possible left leg groin or thigh strain.

The contusion is no concern, and with an FP, that means any possible muscle strain is very mild at worst. He’ll play with no limitations.

Graham Glasgow NP knee, OG

This was a surprise as I didn’t see any signs of a knee injury on initial watch. He was down briefly after his left arm collided with Jameson Williams but that apparently is not an issue.

A positive sign is he played 100% of snaps so hopefully this means the knee injury is mild.

Alex Anzalone NP concussion, LB

The NP suggests he is still symptomatic after taking a helmet blow from Derrick Barnes. With only three days until the game, he likely won’t have enough time to pass through the 5-stage concussion protocol.

Terrion Arnold NP illness, CB

The finger is not listed which likely means no fracture, complex dislocation, or tendon/ligament rupture.

Video suggested a left index finger injury with a dislocation being a possibility. He will play likely with a splint or buddy tape of the 2nd and 3rd fingers until it heals. Tackling and interceptions will be more challenging.

The “illness” usually is not a a concern although there are exceptions like with Christian Mahogany’s mono.

Ennis Rakestraw NP hamstring, CB

Rakestraw hurt his hamstring in pregame warm-ups. The severity is unknown but we’ll have a good idea by the end of the week depending on if he goes on IR or not.

Marcus Davenport FP groin, DE

Davenport had 3x NP last week and a doubtful designation. The FP means he will play on Sunday barring any setback.

Kerby Joseph LP back, S

Good to see Joseph’s hamstring from last week is not listed. The back is new but the LP suggests it’s mild. Joseph played the full game last Sunday with no signs of injury. I’d expect him to play on Sunday.

Isaiah Williams LP abdomen, WR

Williams was out with an ab last week and it’s a good sign he’s up to an LP now. With all the WR’s healthy ahead of him along with Tim Patrick’s emergence, there’s no rush here.

Ifeatu Melifonwu NP ankle, S

Hurt likely during the 2nd preseason game, his ankle is acting very chronic.

Notables Unlisted

Penei Sewell‘s ankle which may have been a high-ankle sprain is unlisted which is very good news. He had missed two practices last week.

Jameson Williams was hit on the head by Graham Glasgow’s arm after the 4th quarter interception and has avoided a concussion diagnosis. Also, his suspected mild left high ankle sprain from last week is off the report.

Derrick Barnes who was involved in the Alex Anzalone concussion has avoided his own concussion diagnosis.

David Montgomery was seen briefly not bearing weight on his right foot but did return to the game.

Frank Ragnow logs his 3rd straight week of being unlisted. His chronic toe has made frequent appearances over the years.

ARIZONA CARDINALS

Dante Stills LP shoulder, DT
Will Hernandez FP ankle, G
Xavier Weaver FP oblique, WR

Notables Unlisted

Jonah Williams starting RT on IR
Darius Robinson DE 1st round rookie on IR
Zay Jones WR suspended
BJ Ojulari DE on IR
Elijah Jones CB 3rd round rookie on IR

Lions 1st injury report for Week 3 shows five players sidelined

Lions 1st injury report for Week 3 shows five players sidelined, but Amon-Ra St. Brown and Marcus Davenport practiced in full

The first practice participation report from the Detroit Lions as the team preps for the Week 3 trip to play the Arizona Cardinals features five players who were not practicing due to injury on Wednesday.

LB Alex Anzalone (concussion)

CB Terrion Arnold (illness)

LG Graham Glasgow (knee)

S Ifeatu Melifonwu (ankle)

CB Ennis Rakestraw (hamstring)

Anzalone suffered the brain injury late in the Week 2 loss to the Buccaneers. Melifonwu has not practiced in full since the second preseason game, and was only a limited participant for a couple of sessions ahead of Week 1. Rakestraw injured himself in the pre-game warmups on Sunday.

In addition to the quintet of non-participants, two other Lions were limited.

S Kerby Joseph was listed with a back issue, while WR Isaiah Williams was limited with an abdomen. Williams missed the Week 2 game with the injury.

On a positive note, WR Amon-Ra St. Brown and EDGE Marcus Davenport were both full participants in the practice session.

Lions projected starting offensive line graded as best run blocking group

Lions projected starting offensive line graded as best 2023 run blocking group

The Lions are going to sport one of the most explosive passing offenses in the league this season, led by quarterback Jared Goff and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. Their run game figured to be just as good and deserves more love.

Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery will once again provide one of the best one-two punches in the backfield. But the key to their run game is going to be their offensive line, led by their two stalwart tackles Penei Sewell and Taylor Decker.

Those two, along with Graham Glasgow, Frank Ragnow and Kevin Zeitler, combined for the best offensive run-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus during the 2023 season.

The gap between the Lions and the second-highest team, the Atlanta Falcons, is noticeable. More than five points separate the two teams. The Lions had the top run-blocking tackle in Sewell and the top center in Ragnow among players that played at least half of their team’s offensive snaps.

The Lions are going to move people up front. Even with the change from Jonah Jackson to Zeitler, the former Raven was still one of the better run blockers last season. The Lions will be just fine in the run game.

Jahymr Gibbs rookie season film review

Jahymr Gibbs rookie season film review from Lions Wire’s Russell Brown reveals a dynamic building block for the Detroit Lions offense

When the Detroit Lions were on the clock with the 6th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, they made a surprising move to trade down. This gave them the 12th overall pick and the 34th overall pick that they used to select tight end Sam LaPorta. However, they surprised everyone by selecting running back Jahmyr Gibbs out of Alabama with the 12th overall pick.

Some called it careless, and others called it clueless. It’s only been one season, but the tune towards the Jahmyr Gibbs selection has changed. It’s changed so much that some would call them geniuses.

After 15 games played as a rookie, Gibbs compiled 945 rushing yards on 182 carries and this led to 10 rushing touchdowns. Additionally, Gibbs was able to record 52 receptions for 316 yards and a touchdown.

It’s been evident that the Lions have wanted a split backfield under Dan Campbell and while they feed David Montgomery plenty of carries, that doesn’t change the way Gibbs can impact a game. Let’s dive into some film to review the rookie season from Gibbs and how impactful he really is for the Detroit Lions offense.

Video Player

Now it’s extremely difficult to pick which plays to highlight from Gibbs’ first season in the NFL. That said, I picked 3 plays through my summer re-watch on his film to highlight for this article.

The first play I want to highlight is from week 16 against the Minnesota Vikings. For Detroit, they come out with their ’11’ personnel (one running back and one tight end), but they’re aligned with a condensed set on both sides of the formation.

Prior to the snap, Jared Goff sends Kalif Raymond on an exit motion to the left of the formation. Post-snap, Amon-Ra St. Brown runs underneath the line of scrimmage (LOS) and as you can see Vikings safety Harrison Smith is aligned in man coverage and goes into a full-out sprint in the same direction as St. Brown.

While this play looks like it could lead to a potential play-action pass with St. Brown spilling out to the flats, this play is a designed run. With a great combo block between Frank Ragnow and Graham Glasgow on the right side, there’s also a good kick out by Penei Sewell. As Gibbs gets the football, he follows his blockers and while he slightly hesitates, it looks like he has nowhere to go but that’s all by design.

Gibbs shows his ability to start and stop while being able to run through initial contact. The burst to get the edge and upfield gets put on display and all of this contributes to him scoring one of his two touchdowns from this game.

Video Player

The next play I want to highlight is certainly a tip of the hat to the Lions offensive line. For starters, we all need to give kudos to Frank Ragnow for his ability to peel off his combo block and pick up the blitzing inside linebacker. As you can see, his body may be positioned full to the right but his head is inside and all eyes are on that linebacker.

Next, look at Penei Sewell going toe-to-toe with Joey Bosa on the right side. While Bosa gets turned around, this gives a slight opening for Gibbs and look at how explosive he is once he makes his way through the hole.

While this run is credited to excellent blocking, it’s also impressive to see Gibbs play with little hesitation on this run. As I mentioned, he puts his explosiveness and speed on display and it’s the type of play that helps set the tone.

This is one of those runs where the defense gets back to their huddle and each player has an internal conversation that they’ve got to buckle up or they’re in for a long day. Unfortunately for the Chargers, it was a long day as they gave up 200 rushing yards, 41 points and over 530 total yards.

Video Player

Lastly, I want to look at how Gibbs can be a mismatch machine. For starters, if he gets a linebacker aligned over the top of him, there’s a good chance he’ll find a way to get open. He may only beat that linebacker by one step, but if he gets open, that’s all that matters.

Looking at the play above, the Lions come out with a trips right formation. Out of the backfield, you’ll see Gibbs run a speed out against the linebacker. With how shifty and explosive he can be, you’ll notice the linebacker get flat-footed and stop in preparation of Gibbs breaking the route off inside.

This gives Gibbs plenty of separation and Goff delivers a good ball to him for the first down. Even though he only averaged 2.43 yards per carry in this game, Gibbs did have 7 receptions for 39 yards in this game.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it was a strong rookie season for Jahmyr Gibbs, and it appears that he could take an even bigger step this season. While he does split backfield duties with David Montgomery, the play making ability from Gibbs is electric. That showed once he started to get settled into the Lions offense and into the NFL. From week 7 through week 17, he recorded 766 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns.

During the Lions playoff run, he scored in every single game and averaged 4.97 yards per carry. According to Player Profiler, Gibbs had a 8.2% breakaway run rate last season and that was second best in the NFL. Meanwhile, he evaded 56 tackles last season (3.7 per game) and that was ranked 13th in the NFL.

Whether you’re for or against taking a running back in the first round, one thing is for sure, Jahmyr Gibbs looks worthy of being selected there. He’s a difference maker with the football in his hands and it feels like he can score at any moment. Look for him to take more than just a step forward this season.