{"id":853751,"date":"2026-04-04T18:49:23","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T18:49:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/853751\/"},"modified":"2026-04-04T18:49:23","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T18:49:23","slug":"lions-dan-campbell-firmly-puts-nfl-on-notice-with-jahmyr-gibbs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/853751\/","title":{"rendered":"Lions’ Dan Campbell Firmly Puts NFL on Notice With Jahmyr Gibbs"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"Dan\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell argued running back Jahmyr Gibbs is just getting started at the NFL level.<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t take long for Detroit Lions<\/a> running back Jahmyr Gibbs<\/a> to become a star. In each of his first three NFL<\/a> seasons, Gibbs made the Pro Bowl. He set new Lions<\/a> records while leading the NFL with 20 total touchdowns in 2024. Gibbs eclipsed the 1,800-yard mark from scrimmage again during 2025.<\/p>\n

Yet, Lions head coach Dan Campbell delivered a clear, scary message on Gibbs while talking about the running back at the NFL annual league meetings this week.<\/p>\n

Campbell suggested the Lions will continue to find new ways to have Gibbs contribute to the Detroit offense.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t view Gibbs as a runner. He was a weapon. We felt like Gibbs, this guy is gonna explode,\u201d Campbell told reporters Monday<\/a>. \u201cYes, he\u2019s a runner, he can run all schemes, he can run inside, outside, the perimeters, but he also can be lethal out of the backfield, and we\u2019re not even there yet.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe feel like this guy can play some receiver. He\u2019s dynamic and he\u2019s a difference-maker. They don\u2019t come around often.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last season, Gibbs had<\/a> 77 catches for 616 receiving yards and five scores. He averaged eight yards per reception while finishing third on the team in targets<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Lions\u2019 Dan Campbell Delivers Strong Words on RB Jahmyr Gibbs\"Dan<\/p>\n

GettyDetroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell argued running back Jahmyr Gibbs is just getting started at the NFL level.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a little crazy to think about Gibbs being even better than what he\u2019s been in his first three seasons. But the running back has proven early in his career there\u2019s not much he can\u2019t do as an offensive weapon.<\/p>\n

In all three of his seasons, he\u2019s averaged at least five yards per carry. His receiving yards have increased every year too.<\/p>\n

Based on what Campbell said about the running back at the league meetings, it sounds as though Gibbs\u2019s totals in receiving might go up again in 2026.<\/p>\n

The Lions faced criticism for drafting Gibbs at No. 12 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. Not because pundits didn\u2019t see the running back as very talented but due to positional value.<\/p>\n

Gibbs is doing everything possible to prove he was worth of that draft position.<\/p>\n

The running back has convinced Campbell. The Lions head coach implied Gibbs should have been an earlier selection.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019d have taken him earlier. We would have taken him earlier,\u201d said Campbell<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Gibbs Favorite for 2026 NFL Award\"Jahmyr<\/p>\n

GettyDetroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs is the favorite to win the NFL\u2019s Offensive Player of the Year award in 2026.<\/p>\n

The Lions running back turned just 24 years old in March. He\u2019s firmly in his prime, and because of what he\u2019s already accomplished, Gibbs faces high expectations entering 2026.<\/p>\n

Pro Football Talk\u2019s Michael David Smith wrote on March 23 that Gibbs is the betting favorite to win the league\u2019s 2026 Offensive Player of the Year award.<\/p>\n

\u201cGibbs\u2019 odds to win Offensive Player of the Year are +700,\u201d Smith wrote<\/a>. \u201cThe next-best odds go to Falcons running back Bijan Robinson<\/a> at +800, followed by Bengals wide receiver Ja\u2019Marr Chase at +900, Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua and 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey at +1000, Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba<\/a> at +1100 and Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson at +1200.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seattle Seahawks<\/a> receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba won the award while leading the NFL in receiving last season<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Philadelphia Eagles<\/a>\u2018 Saquon Barkley<\/a> was the last running back to win the award during the 2024 campaign. Barkley finished<\/a> just shy of the single-season rushing record in 2024. He also led the NFL with 2,283 yards from scrimmage.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tDave Holcomb<\/a> is a sports reporter covering the NFL and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Pittsburgh Steelers and a variety of other NFL teams. Originally from Pittsburgh, Holcomb has covered college and professional sports for outlets including FanSided, Rotowire and Yardbarker. More about Dave Holcomb<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Lions\n\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell argued running back Jahmyr Gibbs is just getting started at the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":853752,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2071],"tags":[146,113,2506,7,147,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-853751","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-detroit-lions","8":"tag-detroit","9":"tag-detroit-lions","10":"tag-detroitlions","11":"tag-football","12":"tag-lions","13":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116347940709718614","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/853751","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=853751"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/853751\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/853752"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=853751"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=853751"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=853751"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}