Tashard Choice, the new Lions running backs coach, is excited to work with Jahmyr Gibbs: “I’ll push him like no other.”

Tashard Choice, the running backs coach for the Detroit Lions, has been a fan of Jahmyr Gibbs for a long time. Gibbs, who has been a Pro Bowler in both of his NFL seasons, has stunned people and gained supporters, including his new position coach. Choice will make sure he gets every last bit of exceptional performance out of Gibbs because he thinks the best is still to come. “For him, the sky is the limit,” Choice recently stated of Gibbs through Tim Twentyman on the team website. “I’ll give him a shove. I’ll push him harder than anyone else. I must

With 1,929 scrimmage yards and four additional scores on catches in 2024, Gibbs was dominating the field with 1,412 rushing yards and a league-high 16 rushing touchdowns. The 2023 NFL Draft first-round selection immediately made an impression in Motown and joined running mate David Montgomery to create one of the league’s best running tandems, known as Sonic and Knuckles. However, as Montgomery was recovering from an injury late last season, Gibbs reached another gear.

Gibbs embraced the RB1 role and ran with it after being forced into lead back status. Gibbs over the century mark in each game with 365 yards and five touchdowns on the ground during the last three weeks of the regular season without Montgomery. Choice, a running backs coach at Texas, looked on with gratitude. Choice, a running back in the NFL for six seasons from 2008 to 2013, said, “These past three years, I’ve had the opportunity to watch (Gibbs) from a distance, and every single week because of (Lions defensive coordinator and friend Kelvin Sheppard) Shep and because of Jah, I kept wanting to watch the Lions’ games.”

Choice, who is now responsible for leading Gibbs forward, is unwavering in his desire to extract the most performance from a back who is currently among the greatest and, at 23, is probably still improving. “To see him progress, to see how smart he is — I tell him he’s one of the smartest running backs I’ve ever coached,” Choice continued. “He’s just a natural football player … so having an opportunity to get around him now coaching, I’m going to be harder on him even more.” In 2024, Gibbs caught 52 passes for the second consecutive season and averaged 5.6 yards per carry, but he also recorded almost 200 more yards in grabs.

 

He demonstrated the ability to carry a heavy workload while still being a big-play back. Choice thinks greater and larger days are ahead, and he’s going to make the Lions stand out to them despite the splendor Gibbs captured on camera last season.

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