This is Tashard Choice’s first year as the Detroit Lions running backs coach, but he’s not a new fan of Jahmyr Gibbs.
A Pro Bowler in each of his two NFL seasons, Gibbs has dropped jaws and amassed admirers, not the least of which is his new position coach.
Choice believes the best is still ahead for Gibbs and he’s going to make sure he gets every ounce of outstanding out of him.
"For him, the sky is the limit," Choice said of Gibbs recently, via the team website’s Tim Twentyman. "I'm going to push him. I'm going to push him like no other. I have to.”
Gibbs was scintillating to the tune of 1,412 rushing yards and a league-high 16 rushing touchdowns in 2024 with 1,929 scrimmage yards and four more TDs on catches.
The 2023 NFL Draft first-round pick has made an instant impact in Motown and complemented running mate David Montgomery to form one of the top RB tandems in the league, affectionately known as Sonic and Knuckles. However, Gibbs hit another gear late last season as Montgomery was on the mend after an injury.
Forced into lead back status, Gibbs took the RB1 role and ran with it. Sans Montgomery in the final three weeks of the regular season, Gibbs produced 365 yards and five touchdowns on the ground, eclipsing the century mark rushing in each game.
As a running backs coach at Texas, Choice watched in appreciation.
"Having the chance to watch (Gibbs) from afar for these last three years, 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,” said Choice, who was a running back for six seasons in the NFL from 2008-2013.
Now tasked with guiding Gibbs forward, Choice is clearly steadfast in his aim to get the very best out of a back who’s already among the elite and, at 23, is likely still on the rise.
"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 said. “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."
Gibbs averaged 5.6 yards per carry in 2024 and pulled in 52 receptions for a second straight year, but tallied nearly 200 more yards receiving. He proved to be a big-play back who could just the same carry a big workload.
Despite the magnificence put on tape last season by Gibbs, Choice believes better and bigger days lie ahead and he’s promising to get the Lions standout to them.