The Detroit Lions won't be going away from their backfield timeshare anytime soon.

Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery will continue to operate as one of the best running back tandems in the NFL, splitting carries and dividing workload based on health, gameplan and a myriad other factors.

But coming off a standout rookie season in which he rushed for 945 yards, caught 52 passes and scored 11 touchdowns, the Lions expect more from Gibbs in Year 2.

More rushing yards, likely. More catches, probably. More impact, definitely. And especially more consistency.

"The next step, consistency (for) 17 games," Lions assistant head coach and running backs coach Scottie Montgomery said Thursday. "We got to see Game 1, Game 2, Game 3, Game 4, we’re past the point now where he’s coming along, he understands this part of (pass) protection. No, he’s there, he needs to understand that part of it and just the requirements that go along with it.

"Second part is we’re talking about as far as what he can do. He was ready last year to start doing more and more and more. Our talent at other positions, at receiver, at tight end, sometimes it can all kind of work together so the ball’s equally distributed."

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Gibbs was a key cog in the Lions' well-balanced offense last season, though Scottie Montgomery said the Lions' depth at the skill positions kept Gibbs' production relatively in check.

David Montgomery had 30 more carries and led the Lions with 1,015 yards rushing while playing one fewer game than Gibbs last season. Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta got the bulk of the targets in the passing game, and while Gibbs finished third on the team in receptions he was only sixth in yards (behind St. Brown, LaPorta, Josh Reynolds, Kalif Raymond and Jameson Williams).

Reynolds' departure will open up more targets in the passing game, though offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said Thursday those will be distributed among several players.

Gibbs made his biggest impact as a receiver out of the backfield last season, and Scottie Montgomery said the Lions could expand Gibbs' role in the passing game this fall.

"What we need him to do from a passing game standpoint is go to that next level," Montgomery said. "I do think there’s a certain difference between route running from the backfield and being a really, really sufficient and efficient check-down runner vs. what it is to be a great route runner, a guy that can run all types of choice (routes). We know we’ve seen him do those things, but now can you go into the slot and do a little bit more down the field? Some intermediate stuff, can we continue to grow him there? And that’s what we’re trying to do."

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Gibbs, who has not taken part in the first two weeks of organized team activities because of an undisclosed injury, declined an interview request coming off the practice field Thursday.

Montgomery said he saw Gibbs take a big leap forward last season when David Montgomery missed time with a midseason knee injury, and he said he expects another big leap forward from the entire running back room in 2024.

"The tape says it," Scottie Montgomery said. "It’s all over the tape. I think that when you have guys that are super talented, that going from good to great is probably the hardest thing you have to do, and what we’re doing, a lot of people think about when you get to that level, 'Man, I’ve done a good job.' But right now they all feel like, 'Man, we weren’t good enough,' and that’s the way that we’re going to fight complacency but it’s also the way that we’re going to take the next step and that is what we expect. We do need to see another step."

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on X and Instagram at @davebirkett.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Could Detroit Lions' Jahmyr Gibbs be even better in fantasy football?