Running Backs
In: (4) Kerryon Johnson, C.J. Anderson, Ty Johnson, Nick Bawden (fullback)
Out: Mark Thompson, Jordan Stockton, Zach Zenner (released on August 27th)
Rationale: The Lions will run the ball a lot this year. How effectively they are able to do that will depend not only on the health and workload management of Kerryon Johnson, but also on having a deep and versatile stable of backs to support him.
If Anderson is able to tally 7-9 carries a game, and average in the neighborhood of four yards per tote, this will be a big boost for the Lions. Rookie Ty Johnson may turn out to be a sixth round steal, as he has looked consistently dangerous all preseason in both the run and pass games. He also has a chance to challenge for some return snaps, which would make his value skyrocket.
Zenner was somewhat surprisingly released on Tuesday. Ty Johnson had clearly passed him in the pecking order, and Thompson may have as well. Zenner’s contributions on special teams could be difficult to replace, but he was likely a candidate to be inactive for most games anyway. He now has a chance to latch on somewhere else before the start of the regular season.
Thompson has quietly put together a solid preseason, averaging 4.7 yards per carry on 17 attempts and two touchdowns. There isn’t room for him in this projection, and another strong performance against the Browns tonight would likely keep him from passing through waivers. Count on him appearing on an NFL roster at some point in 2019.
Bawden seems to be fully recovered from the knee injury that cost him his rookie season. He has displayed some impressive athleticism during training camp, and the Lions always seemed certain to keep a fullback on the roster.