Detroit Lions: Has this fan favorite earned a roster spot in 2019?

While the Detroit Lions may have been eliminated from playoff competition yesterday, one fan favorite may have earned himself a roster spot for next season.

The inevitable has finally happened. With just two weeks of the season left to be played, the Detroit Lions have been eliminated from playoff competition after losing to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, 14-13.

While it must sting to have your playoff chances being squandered by a team who had nothing to play for, there was one bright spot in the Lions offense, and that was running back and fan favorite Zach Zenner adding some excitement to the offense.

Zenner, along with Theo Riddick and LeGarrette Blount, were able to combine to rush for more than 100 yards on Sunday, with 45 of those coming from Zenner, who also rushed for a goal-line touchdown.

This wasn’t the only Zenner has scored recently, as he was also able to find the end zone on another one-yard touchdown run against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 14.

The Motor City spent $2 million this past offseason to acquire Blount, a veteran ball carrier who was brought in to be a goal-line back to share the backfield with rookie running back Kerryon Johnson.

But after what the Lions have seen since re-signing Zenner in Week 10, it’s safe to say that there may not be a need to re-sign Blount once he becomes an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season.

Zenner is a familiar face that all Lions fans seem to have a soft spot for, mostly because of his story. An undrafted running back out of the South Dakota, he joined the Lions in 2015 and played in six games in that opening season.

When given a larger role amidst a handful of injuries in the 2016 season, Zenner excelled with the opportunity, rushing for 334 yards and four touchdowns on 88 carries in 14 games. He was also a minor threat on pass plays, almost totaling 200 yards catching passes out of the backfield.

While it’s clear that Zenner should never be a number one option at running back, he offers a nice change-of-pace out of the backfield. His shiftiness and ability to run through offers a nice alternative to the speedy bursts of Johnson.

Zenner proved in that 2016 season that he contribute on offense, as his efforts late in the season were part of the reason why the Detroit Lions made the playoffs that year.

The former South Dakota jackrabbit has proven to be a small, exciting light in a rather dark season here in Detroit, and he’s proven over the last couple week that he belongs on the depth chart, not only as backup power back who can occasionally pop a big run but also as a guy who can make formidable plays on special teams and is willing to work hard for every minute on the field he gets.