Should Adrian Peterson be the Detroit Lions workhorse?

Johnson and Swift need to be involved

The acquisition of Adrian Peterson has changed the dynamics of the Detroit Lions offensive backfield. Despite being 35 years old, he is still very reliable. Peterson has taken remarkable care of his body and it shows in his ability to be a steady contributor to the ground game.

However, at 35 Peterson isn’t what he used to be. He isn’t going to break many if any, of the long runs we have seen from him in the past, and he is used only sparingly in the passing game which does help tip-off defenses to what the Lions offense is doing.

That doesn’t mean Peterson can’t or doesn’t have the ability to contribute to the Lions offense. It does however bring in to question the workload he is given carrying the ball compared to Kerryon Johnson and D’Andre Swift who would appear by all accounts to be the future of Detroit’s rushing attack but have been almost completely relegated to blocking or catching the ball out of the backfield.

Peterson is a back who can help a team win now. He runs hard, plays smart, and always gives an amazing effort. But what is his future with the Lions?

If the season continues on its present course, then both general manager Bob Quinn and head coach Matt Patricia are going to be shown the door and most likely the new regime that is brought in will start the never-ending rebuilding process again.

A process that seldom has a role for a 35-year-old running back.

Kerryon has had injury issues in his first two seasons, so lightening the workload to almost nothing would help the chances of him making it through the year healthy, but it also hinders his ability to truly contribute and the same can be said for Swift.

Peterson needs to contribute to the backfields production carrying the ball, but the load needs to be spread out among Himself, Johnson, and Swift much more evenly. Both Kerryon and D’Andre have the ability to make big plays. Bottling them up not only hinders their development but the offense as well.

The Lions need to get better on the ground. Better play by the offensive line is part of the equation but utilizing Detroit’s two young backs is also a big part of helping the rushing attack maximize its full potential.