Detroit Lions 2025 training camp preview: Running back battles

With Detroit Lions 2025 training camp on the horizon, we are bringing back our roster preview series to help prepare you for the fun ahead. If you’re not familiar with this series, we guide you position-by-position through the roster, examining the starting, reserve, and specialty roles, which players are competing for which jobs, and project how the Lions will approach each situation.

So far in this series, we have already covered the quarterback position. In this installment, we will examine the Lions' running backs room, speculating on current and future roles, and discussing how many players from this group could make the 53-man roster.

Setting the table

After establishing a two-headed monster rushing attack in 2023—by signing David Montgomery and drafting Jahmyr Gibbs—the Lions fortified their depth in 2024 by re-signing veteran Craig Reynolds and drafting Sione Vaki. Over the last eight months, Detroit has further solidified its strength by signing Montgomery to a two-year contract extension and then re-signing Reynolds to another one-year contract.

With one of the best and deepest running back rooms in the NFL, the Lions have to feel incredibly comfortable with how their four-man room is constructed. Montgomery and Vaki are signed through the 2027 season, Gibbs is signed through 2026 with a team option for 2027, and Reynolds is signed through 2025.

The Lions did not retain practice squader Jermar Jefferson this offseason, but they did add two undrafted free agents, Kye Robichaux (Boston College) and Anthony Tyus (Ohio), and the rookies are expected to compete for Jefferson’s vacated RB5 role.

Roster construction

Under the Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell regime, the Lions have typically kept between three and four running backs on the active roster and at least one on the practice squad, with the number of players being dictated by injuries. However, a special teams rule change altered the Lions’ approach in 2024, and they opted to keep even more running backs on the roster.

Let’s take a look at what they’ve done in the previous four seasons:

2021 : The Lions opened with three running backs and closed the season with four backs due to injury at the position.

: The Lions opened with three running backs and closed the season with four backs due to injury at the position. 2022 : Things played out in reverse, with the Lions starting the season with four backs, then scaling back to three due to injuries at other positions.

: Things played out in reverse, with the Lions starting the season with four backs, then scaling back to three due to injuries at other positions. 2023 : The Lions opened with three, increased to four with injuries at the position, then reverted back to three as they got healthy again.

: The Lions opened with three, increased to four with injuries at the position, then reverted back to three as they got healthy again. 2024: The Lions kept four backs on the active roster for the entire season, regardless of injury.

The battleground

Entering 2025 training camp, the Lions' running back room appears firmly established, but could there be any surprises ahead?

Will the depth chart order change in 2025?

The Lions deploy a true two-headed rushing attack. Montgomery is the “technical” starting running back, but he holds that honor mainly due to his veteran status. While he is typically the first running back to take the field in most games, the snaps/touches distribution is largely dependent on how their in-game offensive approach evolves, and that tends to favor Gibbs.

As you can see in the charts below, Gibbs significantly led the Lions’ running backs in snaps (55.7%) and touches (54%) in 2024; however, those numbers were inflated due to Montgomery’s injuries. If we look exclusively at the 12 games in which both backs were healthy, Gibbs outsnapped Montgomery by an average of 35 to 28 per game, and led the room in eight of those games, but notably, each averaged exactly 16.3 touches per game.

Beyond the starting duo, Reynolds has held the Lions RB3 role for the previous three seasons, but he should face healthy competition from second-year running back Sione Vaki, who continues his march toward 1,000 reps. Reynolds' experience and reliability give him an early edge in the camp battle, but Vaki’s developmental upside—most notably his athleticism and elite hands—demands attention.

If there is going to be a change on the depth chart, it’ll likely be due to the results of this battle.

Could the Lions revert to just three running backs?

Prior to 2024, the Lions typically carried only three running backs; however, recent special teams rule changes, which favor players with running back frames, should allow the Lions to continue keeping four on the roster. For reference, while Reynolds and Vaki only contributed to 10.5% of offensive snaps and 7.5% of touches amongst the running backs, they were both significant four-phase contributors on special teams.

For the Lions to reduce back to just three running backs, they’d need a player with a similar skill set and body type to be able to assume the heavy special teams workload.

Could either UDFA rookie disrupt the depth chart?

With the Lions returning all four of their running backs from last season, the expectations are that they’ll run it back in 2025. However, effective running back play can emerge from unexpected places in the NFL—see: Reynolds’ football career path—and you can never rule out any running back that gets an opportunity in training camp.

Robichaux and Tyus will open camp battling each other for RB5 status, which could be a direct path to a spot on the practice squad and maybe more. With four preseason games this July/August, they’ll have an opportunity to prove to coaches why they belong in the NFL. If they find success, Lions coaches will reward them, but if they struggle, the Lions won’t hesitate to bring in further competition.

Robichaux and Tyus have some intriguing elements to their games—power, hands, and pass-protection—but this may be the toughest position group to try to crack on the roster.

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