The Detroit Lions' offense was able to gel in Ben Johnson's first season running the unit.
Detroit's 2022 offensive DVOA ranking was fifth, while also finishing seventh based on PFF's metrics.
Running backs D'Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams were an integral part of Detroit being third in total yards and fifth in total points for in the NFL last season.
For general manager Brad Holmes and the personnel department, tough decisions were made during the offseason, as both of the aforementioned running backs are no longer on the roster.
Despite their departure, Holmes still believes the offense in 2023 will be better, based on the unique skill sets of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery.
"When you look at it systematically, I do think we'll be better offensively. That's no knock on the contributions that those other two guys gave us," Holmes said on The Season with Peter Schrager podcast. "Swift is a dynamic player and Jamaal was a great leader for us, and he did so much for us. He had a great season. But I think Montgomery and Jamaal are different backs. Montgomery does a little bit more in the passing game. And being able to add Gibbs, he's just so dynamic as a receiver. Look, he's a home run hitter as a running back, that's the easy part. What he does as a receiver -- he runs routes like a receiver."
Detroit's third-year general manager believes the former Crimson Tide running back can have a similar impact as the league's great duel-threat backs.
"When I first got with the Rams in 2003, Marshall Faulk was still there, and I was a huge Marshall Faulk guy -- just kind of seeing what he does in both phases," Holmes commented. "And just from a scouting standpoint, when Christian McCaffrey came out, he was the last guy that I was like, 'Holy cow, this guy can run routes like a slot receiver but also run it.' So, you start getting reminders of those players. I'm not sitting here saying Jahmyr Gibbs is those players, but he's just a special weapon like that. We have a lot of excitement and optimism."
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