For the first time in his NFL career, Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs won’t be sharing a backfield with David Montgomery.
The 29-year-old tailback was traded to the Houston Texans early in the offseason, leaving Gibbs as Detroit’s bell-cow back in 2026.
The Lions did sign Isiah Pacheco to backup Gibbs, and the team has a host of other youngsters looking to earn a spot on the 53-man roster — Kye Robichaux (23), Jacob Saylors (26), Jabari Small (25), and Sione Vaki (24).
But without Montgomery, who was Detroit’s physical, bruising back used in many short-yardage and goal-line situations, Gibbs will likely be used in some of those situations next year.
With his body likely to take more of a beating as the Lions’ lead back, Gibbs decided this offseason was the perfect time to train mixed martial arts. He’s even been working with famed MMA coach Rafael Cordeiro, logging more than 20 one-hour sessions, according to ESPN.
“It helps with body control,” Gibbs told ESPN. “Your base and all that and faster hands. I would say with blocking, I get my hands up before they hit me. I feel like my body’s gotten in better shape, like physically it looks better. And conditioning-wise, that conditioning is way different from here because you use nonstop movement in every muscle of your body.
“Out here [in football], you get more breaks and [there is] much more using your legs. But there [in MMA], it’s just constant shoulders, knees, elbows, you go to the ground and all that so out here I barely get tired.”
While working with Gibbs, Cordeiro specifically worked on the 202-pound RB’s vision and hand-eye coordination.
“He now has the vision that the fighters have inside the Octagon,” Cordeiro told ESPN. “He can see. When I say something, it makes sense for him.”
Gibbs was already one of the top running backs in the NFL, topping 1,800 yards from scrimmage and 18 touchdowns each of the last two years.
But now, Gibbs will be even scarier.
An elite runner with better vision, quicker thinking, better later movement, and increased strength — that’s the kind of thing that keeps NFL defensive coordinators up at night.
Cordeiro has trained several elite fighters during his career including boxing legend Mike Tyson, former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, former UFC light heavyweight champions Lyoto Machida and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum, and former Pride middleweight champion Wanderlei Silva.
There’s no reason to think he won’t also elevate Gibbs’ game to another level too.
