Detroit Lions roster cuts shed light on skill positions

After the Detroit Lions roster was trimmed to 53 players, some light has been shed on the team’s plans for skill position players.

A new season is nearly ready to kick off and the Detroit Lions have made the necessary roster cuts to trim down to 53 active players. In doing so, the team’s plans at the skill positions has come into view with a slight surprise.

The top four wide receivers were never in doubt. The group is led by a star-studded duo of receivers Golden Tate and Marvin Jones. Sophomore standout Kenny Golladay and a re-signed T.J. Jones round out the top of the receiving group. After these four is where we saw a player work his way onto the roster.

Rookie wide receiver Brandon Powell had a monster game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in week three of the preseason with an electrifying 80-yard punt return for a touchdown while also hauling in all six of his targets for 45 yards to lead all Lions receivers. At 5 foot 8, Powell has some shiftiness to him in the open field – something that will be an asset behind return man and defensive back Jamal Agnew.

Taking a look into the backfield, the top running backs aren’t much of a surprise as rookie Kerryon Johnson and veteran LeGarrette Blount lead the group. Receiving threat Theo Riddick is still in the fold as well. Somewhat of a surprise is that Ameer Abdullah is still on the roster, but it makes a lot of sense.

Abdullah got a long look this preseason. He fared well in some instances while he also was involved in an early game fumble in another. But he has some experience, gas in the tank and big-play potential. He won’t be relied on to carry the load, and thus is worth keeping around. He’ll be a nice asset to have backing up the lead rushers on this Detroit Lions team and may see time here and there while giving the starters a rest.

Looking at the personnel and coaching history, don’t be surprised if head coach Matt Patricia turns this into a running back by committee. The carries could go to whoever has the hot hand or whoever fits the gameplan better on a weekly basis. While Johnson and Blount look to be a formidable one-two punch, the personnel and ability are there for a committee approach.

Until we see this Detroit Lions team run onto the field on Monday Night Football versus the New York Jets and get a regular season sample of their approach to a meaningful game, we’ll have to wait and see how the running backs are used.