Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs sustained a hamstring injury late Monday evening at Lions practice, and was forced to depart the session early. It’s currently unclear on which play Gibbs was injured on, however medical staff are currently evaluating the Offensive Rookie of the Year finalist to determine the severity of the injury.
The sophomore back is coming off a Pro Bowl rookie campaign in which he rushed for 945 yards, 10 TDs and added another 316 yards through the air.
Reports indicated that the Lions were hoping to use Gibbs as the the focal point of their backfield in year 2, after the 22 year old split time with veteran David Montgomery in 2023. The former Alabama standout previously told reporters that he had a lofty goal of posting 1,000 yards on the ground and another 1,000 yards through the air in 2024 and that he wanted to be utilized similar to how San Francisco deploys Christian McCaffrey.
While the injury isn’t believed to overly serious at the moment, it does give Lions fans and Fantasy Football players cause for concern. Gibbs dealt with a similar injury last season which caused him to miss 2 games in October. He also was forced out of OTA’s this summer after picking up another soft tissue injury which sidelined him from Jun 5th to July 27th.
The belief is that Gibbs should be ready to go for Week 1 of the season. But after already having sat out the first preseason game, the setback means that the talented back could be missing valuable reps in the lead up to September, which means Montgomery could see increased usage in the early going of the season.
Making matters worse for Detroit, rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold also left practice early after being evaluated for an upper body injury, while fellow rookie CB Ennis Rakestraw Jr. suffered an ankle injury at some point as well.
Detroit is scheduled to take on Kansas City in preseason action on Saturday August 17th.
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