Detroit Lions place Kerryon Johnson on IR; Who will replace him?

The Detroit Lions are placing running back Kerryon Johnson on Injured Reserve for the second-straight season in a row. Who’s replacing him?

File this news under: Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse for the Detroit Lions. After suffering a knee injury in the Lions’ 42-30 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, second-year running back Kerryon Johnson was placed in Injured Reserve after having surgery Tuesday morning. That news was first reported by ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

This is the second season in a row Johnson has been placed on Injured Reserve. He missed six games last year due to a left knee injury. Sunday’s injury happened on his right knee. Johnson has a disturbing injury history that goes all the way back to high school. It’s one of the reasons he dropped to the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

The 22-year old Johnson was having tough second season in Detroit. Averaging just 3.3 per carry, he’s amassed 308 yards and two touchdowns in six games. 125 of those rushing yards came against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week Four. The Lions hope to get Johnson back at some point this season.

This injury could not have happened at a worse time for Detroit. The team currently sits at the bottom of the NFC North standings with a record of 2-3-1 after suffering divisional losses to both the Green Bay Packers and the Vikings. If the Lions are going to bounce-back in the second half of the season, they’ll have to do so without their top running back.

Sixth-round rookie Ty Johnson, J.D. McKissic, and Tra Carson currently populate Motown’s depth chart at running back. And team recently indicated that they are preparing to go running back-by-committee. But we’ve laid out five free agents options for replacing Kerryon Johnson here. The Detroit Lions could also look to trade for a possible fill-in for Johnson, with names like the Los Angeles Chargers’ Melvin Gordon and the Miami Dolphins’ Kenyan Drake as possible targets.