Lions' Campbell: Montgomery, Gibbs will be '2-headed monster' at RB
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell feels good about the team's running back position after adding Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery this offseason.
"I do see a two-headed monster here," Campbell told SiriusXM NFL Radio.
The Lions revamped their running back depth chart this year, drafting Gibbs in the first round and signing Montgomery in free agency to replace D'Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams.
"I think you need a back that push comes to shove, he can carry a load," Campbell said. "You need ... somebody you feel like you can give the ball to 20-to-25 times a game potentially.
"And then you need that specialty guy - he's much more. He carries the scalpel, and he can slice you up. He can hurt you in the pass game, potentially. I'm talking about Gibbs, obviously. Get him out there and do a few more things because look, that's kind of what I know."
Detroit selected Gibbs 12th overall this year - the team's highest-drafted RB since Barry Sanders was taken No. 3 in 1989. Meanwhile, Montgomery spent his first four NFL seasons with the Chicago Bears, averaging 228 carries, 902 rushing yards, and six touchdowns per year.
Campbell, a former tight end, played for several teams during his career, including the New York Giants and New Orleans Saints. He was later part of New Orleans' coaching staff before becoming a head coach. Both the Giants and Saints rostered a solid duo of running backs at the time.
"You talk about backs, my best exposure was as a player under Sean Payton," Campbell said. "We had Ron Dayne, we had Tiki Barber. Tiki was that kind of change-up guy. He could do a lot of different things, and Ron was a heavy back."
Campbell continued: "I get to New Orleans, and Mark Ingram was our A back; he was the guy who carried the load. And then (Alvin) Kamara did all the other stuff, and they could hurt you."
With Swift and Williams carrying the load, the Lions ranked 11th in rushing yards and third in touchdowns on the ground in 2022. Swift was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in April, and Williams signed with the Saints.