After the Detroit Lions broke up their "Sonic and Knuckles" franchise, the club is moving to a one-star show.
The Lions traded hammer David Montgomery this offseason, planning to let speedster Jahmyr Gibbs play the lead role.
"He's going to be our bell cow now," coach Dan Campbell said Thursday, . "We're going to hang our hat on him quite a bit. We're going to do a lot of things we feel like he does well. I've mentioned this before, he can run everything that we've got. He can run every scheme that anybody's ever run."
In his first three seasons, Gibbs dispelled the notion that he's merely a speed option, Sonic running around the edge to gobble up coins. The back is an inside-outside nightmare, able to withstand the beating between the tackles while boasting the speed to beat defenses to the edges. His dual-threat ability and the fear his home-run talent instills in a defense make it hard to take him off the field.
Gibbs generated 3,580 rushing yards and 39 touchdowns in 675 carries over his first three seasons, including back-to-back 1,200-plus-yard campaigns.
The Lions began the transition last year, siphoning off would-be Montgomery carries in favor of Gibbs. The run-game struggles of 2025 compared to 2024 were more due to offensive line issues than the distribution of backfield duties. With Detroit poised to put more on Gibbs' shoulders, Montgomery requested and received a trade to Houston, where he can get more touches.
Gibbs said not having Montgomery around and being the clear lead back isn't odd.
"It's not weird anymore," Gibbs said. "It was weird, like when we first got back. But now I'm pretty much used to it."
He'll get used to being on the field almost every snap. The Lions added Isiah Pacheco as a sub who can run angry, but his contract -- one year, $1.81 million -- underscores how little Detroit expects to use its backup.
Gibbs will see a huge number of touches and the overwhelming bulk of the carries and is the best receiving option out of the backfield. The Lions should give him the Christian McCaffrey treatment in 2026.
The 24-year-old is on the verge of a payday, one that could reset the running back market. However, Gibbs said he isn't worried about reaching an extension ahead of the season.
"I'm worried about the team. ," he said. "I let my agent and (general manager) Brad (Holmes) do all that -- or whoever does it up there, I don't know. But I just let him do that and I just be out here."
After his first three years as a duo, Sonic is now the singular title character in Detroit.
