Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Stock Up: Zach Zenner
If I can be ‘that guy’ for a second, Zenner was the UDFA I really thought could make an impact in Detroit and it was only a matter of time before he got a shot. Frankly I thought it would take a few more weeks of Joique Bell slogging for a yard or two at a time before Zenner started slowly leeching carries away. Instead, Bell was injured and Zenner got his shot.
He only netted three touches, two rushes and a catch. That isn’t big production, but what Zenner was able to show was that even with a bad line who can’t block to save their lives, you can get the hard yards. With Abdullah’s explosiveness just waiting for that crease to come alive, Zenner demands a bigger workload where he shares carries. Maybe not 50/50, but enough that he can push the pile and help keep defenses honest. If Zenner can make defenses worry about runs up the gut, runs to the outside might actually be a viable option, making room for Abdullah to destroy ankles.
Zenner showed that he can fill in while Bell is away, but considering Bell’s performances in early seasons, it’s fair to say that he might be able to wrest that job away with every carry the longer Bell is off the field. At worst, the Lions have a guy they can look forward to in 2016 and beyond to tote the rock for solid chunks of yards, and that’s valuable.
Next: The Other Side of the Line Not So Much
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