The Detroit Lions won a single waiver claim on Sunday. And the new addition is someone that’s played under new offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell before.
When the Detroit Lions parted ways with longtime running back Theo Riddick back in July, it was believed the team could replace one of the NFL top receiving threats out of the backfield with the combination of starter Kerryon Johnson and sensational playmaking rookie Ty Johnson. But the newest addition to the roster seems to indicate otherwise.
On Saturday, Detroit trimmed their roster from 90 players to only 53-men, leaving 37 former Lions placed either on the waiver wire or into free agency. When Detroit was done, only three players remained on the Lions’ running back depth chart. Those players being the aforementioned Johnsons and power back C.J. Anderson.
The Lions cut running backs James Williams, Justin Stockton, and Mark Thompson. They had already parted ways with both veterans Riddick and Zach Zenner. Detroit seemed to be set at the position when you consider fullback Nick Bawden also won a spot on the final-53.
But it appears the Lions weren’t done adding to their running backs room. On Sunday, Detroit won their waiver wire claim for former Seattle Seahawks running back J.D. Mckissic. Interestingly listed as a wide receiver on the transaction report, McKissic is considered to be more of a primary pass-catcher out of the backfield than a traditional runner. That’s very much in the vein of Riddick’s previous role in Motown.
McKissic was a receiver at Arkansas State, posting 103 catches for 1,022 yards and five touchdowns as a redshirt freshman in 2012. He’d go undrafted in 2016 after his senior season when he recorded 52 receptions for 525 yards and two scores.
McKissic originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent with the Atlanta Falcons. Despite recording a 101-yard kick return for a touchdown in the preseason, the wideout found himself on the Falcons’ practice squad for most of his rookie year. He was then claimed off waivers by the Seahawks later that same year. Seattle’s offensive coordinator at the time was Darrell Bevell, the man who is now in that very same position for Detroit.
Under Bevell, McKissic displayed his unique versatility in 2017, recording 46 rushing attempts for 187 yards and a touchdown on the ground while also catching 34 passes for 266 yards and two more scores through the air. Checkout the highlights from his two touchdown performance against the Indianapolis Colts in Week Four of that season.
Last season, the 26-year old was limited to just five games in Seattle due to a broken foot.
Waived by the Seahawks on Saturday during final cuts, J.D. Mckissic now joins the Detroit Lions as a running back/wide receiver hybrid that has spent considerable time under Darrell Bevell’s offensive scheme. That should certainly help Mckissic to get up to speed quickly and begin contributing both on offense and on special teams.