Detroit Lions: Defenses will be gunning for Kerryon Johnson in 2019

How will opposing defenses attack the Detroit Lions differently now that running back Kerryon Johnson is poised to become the focal point of the offense?

When the Detroit Lions gave over their franchise to first-time head coach Matt Patricia in early 2018, things figured to change drastically on the defensive side of the ball. After all, Patricia was the New England Patriots defensive coordinator for six seasons, leading the Pats to six-straight conference championships and three Super Bowl appearances.

Yet, offensively the remaining presence of Jim Bob Cooter as offensive coordinator seemed to ensure that the Lions’ strong passing attack would remain intact. But general manager Bob Quinn made a big investment to improve Motown’s running game in 2018. They added free agent running back LeGarrette Blount to the roster and used their first two draft selections on Arkansas center Frank Ragnow and Auburn running back Kerryon Johnson.

And it was Johnson who emerged as one of the league’s top rookie rushers last season, posting an impressive 5.4 yards per carry average, racking up 641 rushing yards and three touchdowns in total. Unfortunately, a knee injury limited the first-year running back to only 10 games in 2018.

As a result of that investment, the Lions finished with the 23rd best rushing attack in the NFL last season, their highest ranking since 2013. But Detroit’s passing game took a hit, dropping from the sixth best in the league in 2017 all the way down to 20th last year.

This offseason the Lions opted to part ways with Cooter and hired former Seattle Seahawks’ offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell to take his place. Bevell is known for his run-first offenses and Johnson figures to be his next Marshawn Lynch. But Kerryon surprised many opponents with his play as a rookie. Now that the league has been put on notice, opposing defenses will be better prepared than ever to stop the talented running back.

Here’s what Patricia told the Detroit Free Press earlier this year about the new challenges Johnson will face in his second season.

"“it’ll be a whole different set of circumstances for [Kerryon Johnson] next year. Teams will definitely identify him differently. Teams are going to come at him differently. They’re going to put more pressure on him. So is the passing game, is the run game, is the blitz-pickup game going to look the same? We don’t know.”"

The Detroit Lions fielded the worst rushing offense in the entire NFL in 2017. So opposing defensive coordinators likely didn’t expect the Lions’ rushing attack to be very effective last season. With a talented running back in the backfield and a new run-minded offensive coordinator on the sidelines, expect Detroit to face a bigger uphill battle to run the ball in 2019. But that’s actually good news for quarterback Matthew Stafford and his talented receiver corps, who should benefit from more open looks because of it.