Lions GM Brad Holmes: Jahmyr Gibbs is 'special weapon' like Marshall Faulk or Christian McCaffrey

The Detroit Lions remade their backfield in 2023, swapping D'Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams for David Montgomery and rookie Jahmyr Gibbs. The question entering training camp is whether the changes significantly altered the Lions' offense or just swapped names.

Speaking on The Season with Peter Schrager podcast, general manager Brad Holmes was emphatic that the moves will better fit what the Lions want to do on offense.

"When you look at it systematically, I do think we'll be better offensively," he said. "That's no knock on the contributions that those other two guys gave us. Swift is a dynamic player and Jamaal was a great leader for us, and he did so much for us. He had a great season. But I think Montgomery and Jamaal are different backs. Montgomery does a little bit more in the passing game. And being able to add Gibbs, he's just so dynamic as a receiver. Look, he's a home run hitter as a running back, that's the easy part. What he does as a receiver -- he runs routes like a receiver."

Williams rushed for 1,066 yards and led the NFL with 17 touchdowns (13 coming inside the 3-yard line). In two seasons in Detroit, he caught 38 passes for 230 yards (both fewer than he had in 2019 with Green Bay). Swift rushed for 542 yards with five TDs last season and caught 48 passes for 389 yards. Injuries were an issue for the former second-round pick before being traded to Philadelphia this offseason.

Montgomery, meanwhile, rushed for 801 yards and five TDs and caught 34 passes for 316 yards for Chicago in 2022. Last season at Alabama, Gibbs rushed 151 times for 926 yards, caught 44 passes for 444 yards and scored 10 total TDs.

Montgomery might bring a little more pop than Williams. Behind a struggling offensive line in Chicago,