The Detroit Lions appear to have struck gold with the selection of Jahmyr Gibbs in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Gibbs surpassed 1,000 scrimmage yards in his first NFL season, and displayed a surplus of quickness and athletic ability. Heading into his second season, the Lions are excited to see what a more developed version of the talented running back can be.
“'Jah' (Gibbs) is a special dude,” Lions fullback Jason Cabinda told the Detroit Free Press. “I mean, the acceleration, the speed, vision, I mean, he can do a lot. He can really do anything. And then the way 'D-Mo' (David Montgomery) runs the rock, I mean the freaking attitude, does it not scream Detroit? That’s how I feel when I watch D-Mo run the rock, so those are just two dynamic guys that can really hurt you. And when you add me back there and we got power run game in and are able to do certain things of different stuff, it can be dynamic.”
Cabinda himself is in an interesting position. He missed most of last season with a knee injury, and was waived after being activated from injured reserve. He ended up returning to the practice squad and serving as an elevation throughout the playoffs, but his contract expired earlier in the offseason.
He has said he wants to return in 2024, but is focused on rehabbing his injury in order to come back healthy.
“I think right now, I’m just focusing on my body, doing what I can to get my body right, where I want it to be,” Cabinda said. “Give myself the best chance to start preparing again, so we’ll see. Take a couple weeks to breathe, kick this knee up, let this knee heal up some, maybe take a trip and then see how I’m feeling.”
Here are other headlines surrounding the Lions on Feb. 16.
- The Detroit News teamed up for a first-round mock draft. Justin Rogers had the Lions selecting Ennis Rakestraw Jr., while Nolan Bianchi selected Kamari Lassiter.
- Mike Fisher of Cowboys Country explored the possibility of the Lions signing current Cowboys cornerback Stephon Gilmore in free agency.
- Former Lions running back Ameer Abdullah has launched his acting career, landing a lead role in a new film titled, "Break the Cycle."
More must-reads: