Detroit Lions find themselves running on empty

Injuries shine a spotlight on a team’s depth, and the Detroit Lions are now in a tough spot with running back Kerryon Johnson’s injury.

The Detroit Lions were manhandled by the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. The defeat, in an important divisional game, wasn’t even the worst part. The injuries were piling up and forcing this team to check its depth on offense and defense.

Three starters were sidelined during the game including Lions running back Kerryon Johnson. The other two big injuries? Lions cornerback Darius Slay and defensive tackle Damon Harrison. Thankfully, Harrison was able to return later in the game, but his run-stopping power didn’t stop the Vikings.

The biggest issue today is the Johnson injury. He’s reportedly going to miss some time with a knee injury and is being called week to week at this point. Without their clear-cut starter that was carrying a pretty heavy load in previous weeks, running back depth on this Lions rosters is suddenly in the spotlight.

The Detroit Lions couldn’t seem to make up their minds on what to do at the position. The team signed C.J. Anderson in the offseason and eventually released fan favorite Zach Zenner.  Next, the team released Anderson to pick up Paul Perkins. That move didn’t last long as they cut Perkins to claim Tra Carson.

The only moves that have stuck at the running back position are Johnson, rookie draft pick Ty Johnson and claiming J.D. McKissic. The rest have been part of a rotating door leaving no real power back except fullback Nick Bawden.

Time will tell if they start to miss Zenner, who is now with the New Orleans Saints, or Anderson, who is still a free agent. But one has to think they are going to add something to this mix that sticks for more than a couple of weeks.

Looking at the free-agent pool, Jay Ajayi is the only name that sticks out. But if the Detroit Lions were going to sign him, you’d think they would have done it by now instead of claiming guys off waivers. A trade would probably make more sense if this team thinks they have a shot at turning things around.

One of the names being floated around as potentially available via trade is Miami Dolphins running back Kenyan Drake. No surprise that the Dolphins are looking to trade away players. That’s pretty much all they did this offseason. The question is, what would the Lions be willing to give up?

Hopefully, these Motor City cats don’t give up much. After all, the player running the ball might not be the issue. But the depth at the position appears to be in question, and rightfully so. Behind Johnson, there’s a rookie and a third-down back … and not much else.