Lions Need to Pass on Arian Foster

Word has leaked out that free agent running back Arian Foster will visit the Detroit Lions this week.

Foster’s visit to Detroit is not yet firmly scheduled, but numerous sources have confirmed what Pat Starr reported above: the Lions do indeed have some interest in signing the former Texans All-Pro.

While the Lions do have a need for a veteran runner and more skilled competition at the unsettled position, Detroit needs to pass on Arian Foster.

If this was even one year ago, I’d strongly advocate Detroit doing whatever it could to land Foster. At that point, No. 23 in red, white and blue had made four straight Pro Bowls and rushed for at least 1200 yards in four of the last five seasons. Durability was definitely a question, as Foster had played in more than 13 games just once in the four years while dealing with a chronic hamstring issue, a herniated disk in his back and a torn groin muscle.

Last year proved the durability concerns were no joke. Foster missed most of the summer with the groin issue lingering, then tore his Achilles in Week 6. He played in just four games and was nowhere close to his old self in those contests. For a guy with a career 4.6 yards per carry average entering the year, 2.6 per attempt in 2015 was evidence of a real decline.

Foster has been available all offseason but has garnered little interest. The Dolphins, whom he meets with before coming to Detroit, have already met with the former undrafted free agent from Tennessee once but passed. If they decline to sign Foster again, the Lions need to follow their example.

I lived in Houston from 2010-13 and saw firsthand Foster’s dramatic and emphatic rise to glory. He was an effervescent breath of fresh air, a unique individual on and off the field. His high-speed cutting, balance, vision and ability to set up and break off blocks made him one of the most feared runners in the league. Despite mediocre–and at times much worse than that–quarterback play, Foster remained incredibly productive. He earned his fan favorite status.

Now? He’s almost 30 and coming off a major injury, one which followed two other significant injuries. Detroit’s offense is not a familiar one, and Foster has no chemistry with any Lions. He is an unusual character; that’s not meant as a negative but his outspoken free thinking isn’t an easy fit in a new locker room.

The Lions have Ameer Abdullah as the top back. Foster would play the old Joique Bell role, though he’s not as powerful of an inside runner as the departed Bell. With Stevan Ridley and Zack Zenner both offering younger and cheaper ability in that role, plus rookie Dwayne Washington also in the mix, I’m just not sold Foster is a great fit.

He’s the kind of signing that a bad team makes, chasing a name with a glorious past but little chance at a functional future. Fans would expect the vintage Foster, and they would almost certainly be disappointed.

Sure, there is a chance the Lions could coax a strong comeback year out of Arian Foster. But it’s far more likely he would end his Detroit career a crumpled, disappointing heap of past greatness.