Coach Dan Campbell envisions a "two-headed monster" in the backfield with Gibbs and David Montgomery, ESPN.com's Eric Woodyard reports.
Campbell is merely confirming what was made obvious by Detroit's offseason moves. The Lions let Jamaal Williams walk and later traded D'Andre Swift, but only after signing Montgomery to a three-year, $18 million contract ($8.75 million guaranteed) and drafting Gibbs at No. 12 overall. While Montgomery is a capable pass catcher in his own right, Campbell said he views Gibbs as the guy who "carries the scalpel" and "can hurt you in the pass game." The Lions head coach also mentioned his previous experience on teams that utilized two running backs, including the Giants with Ron Dayne / Tiki Barber and the Saints with Mark Ingram / Alvin Kamara. The latter is a reasonable comparison for Montgomery/Gibbs, though presumably in an offense with less cumulative production up for grabs given that Jared Goff is no Drew Brees. Then again, Williams and Swift combined for over 2,000 scrimmage yards and 25 TDs last year, and that was with Swift missing three games and third-stringer Justin Jackson adding 281 total yards and two TDs of his own. Montgomery and Gibbs are probably a better real-life duo than Williams/Swift, with the rookie being the upside play for fantasy thanks to his combination of speed, receiving skills and draft capital.