Lions head coach Dan Campbell indicated Monday that Gibbs could see an uptick in his work in the team's backfield rotation during the second half of the season, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports. "I don't think necessarily, talking to you right now, that I see Gibbs getting 65 plays. I don't see that," Campbell said. "But he's going to get his fair share now. We know what we can be and he's growing, so I think it'll be a little bit by committee and make sure we get those guys touches. Gibbs'll get his touches."
After missing two straight games with a hamstring injury, Gibbs returned to action Week 7 and took hold of a lead role in the absence of David Montgomery (rib). In a loss to the Ravens in Week 7 and a win over the Raiders in Week 8, Gibbs played 86 and 69 percent of the Lions' snaps on offense, respectively, compiling 220 yards and two touchdowns (on 37 carries) and 14 receptions for 95 yards (on 15 targets) between the two contests. Though Montgomery was listed as a full practice participant Wednesday coming out of the Lions' Week 9 bye and appears poised to play Sunday against the Chargers, Campbell's comments suggest that Montgomery could cede more work to the Gibbs than he had on the occasions when both backs were available in three of the Lions' first four games. In those three games, Gibbs still averaged just shy of 12 touches (7.3 carries, 4.3 receptions), but the rookie's ability to handle even heavier workloads over the last two contests without sacrificing much efficiency might be reason enough for Campbell to have him split reps with Montgomery in relatively equitable fashion moving forward.