David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs are both new to Detroit this season, but they already look like an excellent running back tandem. The Lions duo should be one of the NFL’s best and most versatile.
After the top two RBs, well…
The picture behind Montgomery and Gibbs has blurred in the last couple of weeks. Injuries to Craig Reynolds and Jermar Jefferson and the unexpected retirement of Justin Jackson have really opened up the competition. Or, as head coach Dan Campbell said before Monday’s practice session,
“…nothing is solidified in that third role or fourth for that matter. I mean there’s – we’re going to take the best players and so, our eyes are open. We – (Lions GM)) Brad (Holmes) and I were discussing it, I mean we’re – you want a job, go get it.”
Campbell made sure to emphasize that the competition doesn’t have nearly as much to do with running the ball as it does special teams.
“We’re looking for a third back and it all starts with special teams, man. If they can help us there, then we’re figure out the offensive side of it,” Campbell stated.
Here are the guys trying to go get those jobs and where they stand entering the second week of preseason.
Craig Reynolds
Reynolds switched his uniform number to 13 this offseason, and it’s not been a lucky move. He missed the preseason opener with an injury, and Reynolds might not be back for the joint practices with the Jaguars this week.
Reynolds broke out in 2021 with 230 rushing yards in just five games, including an eye-popping debut. He effectively filled the between-the-tackles reserve role last year, averaging 4.4 yards per carry in limited duty while also dealing with a serious chest injury.
This summer, Reynolds has shown he’s worked hard on his receiving skills. He’s one of the regulars on the Jugs machine after every practice, and he’s also spent time working on his pass protection skills. However, he’s limited when asked to work outside the tackles and hasn’t yet proven himself as an asset on special teams.
Reynolds should still be considered the No. 3, but that status is written in thin pencil. The more time he misses, the closer that eraser gets to his name.
Jermar Jefferson
Jefferson enters his third season hoping to advance above the Lions’ practice squad, which is where he spent all of 2022. He’s shown speed and increased vision this offseason, but the injury bug bit him at a very inopportune time.
Don’t take my word for it; Dan Campbell said this of Jefferson,
“I mean certainly there is a little something in there, but it’s not – I wouldn’t say it’s significant, now the problem is when you’re in training camp, every day is significant, so we’re hoping we could get him back this week, but I don’t – it’s hard to say that right now.”
Jefferson had already fallen out of the return specialist competition and has never been really effective on special teams in prior trials. Coupled with his track record of abysmal pass protection, it makes him a tough sell as a niche reserve. Jefferson had been helping himself with a decent offseason — notably in the passing game — but the injury threatens to derail it all quickly.
Devine Ozigbo
Signed midweek, Ozigbo grabbed the bull by the horns against the Giants. While he gained just 31 yards on 11 carries, Ozigbo did force four missed tackles per PFF tracking and gained 18 yards after contact. That’s impressive, and it got noticed by the people to whom that matters.
Again, the words of Dan Campbell, on Ozigbo:
“Yeah, I – man, he did some good things. It is interesting to see these guys and you’re like, ‘Man, he just walked in the door,’ and now all of a sudden you’re just, ‘Get in there.’ But he did, he competed. I thought he was middle, he was good, there’s – there like anybody else, there’s a few things to clean up, but certainly it wasn’t too much for him. He wasn’t frazzled.”
Ozigbo has bounced around the league since 2019 as a weird fit. He’s a 6-foot, 230ish-pound receiving specialist type of running back. He does have special teams experience in his time with the Broncos, Jaguars and Saints too.
This week’s joint practices and preseason game against the Jaguars are critically important for Ozigbo, who figures to begin the week as Detroit’s No. 3 RB. Can he sustain that status?
Benny Snell
Snell got exactly one practice in Detroit before his preseason debut in a Lions uniform. Snell ran hard and low, the qualities that helped him gain over 750 yards for the Steelers in 2019-2020 as a spot-starting power back.
Much like what Campbell said of Ozigbo, Snell did not look overwhelmed. His experience carried him through the crazy turnaround. With Reynolds iffy, Snell has a chance to make his mark as the between-the-tackles reserve.
The biggest feather in his cap, however, is that Snell has nearly 1,000 special teams reps in the NFL. When Campbell tells everyone that’s the emphasis, you’d better believe those punt and kick team reps mean something for Snell.
Jason Cabinda
Cabinda is the team’s fullback, a role that rarely sees the ball in the offense crafted by coordinator Ben Johnson and Campbell. In three seasons since converting from linebacker, Cabinda has touched the ball 12 times.
He got two touches in Friday night’s game, catching one pass for nine yards and dropping the other target. Cabinda makes his living as a blocker on both the offense and special teams. Alas, he’s not been a great pass protector. In 2022 he earned a pass protection grade of just 52.1 from PFF. He gave up a QB hit on Friday night in just five pass-blocking attempts, too.
Cabinda is a treasured teammate and was the team’s Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee. His value extends well off the field. You can’t help but wonder just how much value that adds to a role player who isn’t especially good at his offensive role, however.
Mohamed Ibrahim
Ibrahim had an unfortunate NFL preseason debut. The undrafted rookie from Minnesota gained just nine yards on four carries before leaving the Giants game with an injury. On Monday, coach Campbell indicated Ibrahim will be “down for a little bit longer” than the aforementioned Reynolds.
That’s effectively a death knell for Ibrahim’s chances to make the 53-man roster. He did flash enough to be considered for the practice squad, but a lack of special teams and passing game duties could very well lead Ibrahim to being on another roster, or perhaps released with an injury settlement.
