4 realistic pivot options for Detroit Lions if Jamaal Williams leaves in free agency

4. Alexander Mattison

Mattison has spent his career to this point stuck behind Dalvin Cook in Minnesota. That said, Cook’s injury docket has given him occassional opportunities to be a workhorse and he has often produced well.

Games started for running backs can be misleading, and it’s not really an indicator of anything per se. So we’ll go with sheer workload.

In five career games with 20 or more carries, Mattison has run for 112, 95, 112, 113 and 90 yards respectively (three of those games against the Lions, by the way, including two in 2021). Narrow down to games where he’s simply had double-digit carries, and he’s regularly been an effective player.

Mattison could capably fill the role Williams would leave behind, and perhaps offer more in the passing game than Williams has (7.5 yards per catch in his career, 32 catches in 2021). He’s probably most ideally paired with a speedier, more versatile back (D’Andre Swift?).

But the Lions would get younger, and probably a fair chunk cheaper, with the other piece of their backfield rotation if they pivot to Mattison upon Williams’ exit.