One of the glaring holes for the Detroit Lions over the last few season has been their lack of dependability in the running game.
The Lions have ranked in the bottom of the league in rushing, which is something that general manager Bob Quinn believes can be corrected through a collective effort, according to Justin Rogers of The Detroit News.
“The running game is going to be a combination of head coach, offensive coordinator, offensive line coach, tight ends coach, running backs coach and maybe, to a small degree, receivers coach. This is going to be a collaborative thing. So I don’t perceive (adding a run-game coordinator).”
Detriot finished the 2017 season last in rushing yards, which has been the case in two out of the last three years and four times overall since Hall of Famer Barry Sanders retired in 1999. Ameer Abdullah has been the primary back in running situations, but his lack of effectiveness has caught up to the offense's overall success.
The Lions haven't boasted a reliable running game for quite some time, as their last player to gain 1,000 rushing yards was Reggie Bush back in 2013. The hiring of Matt Patricia as their next head coach could lead to a renewed effort in instituting a larger involvement of runs plays, and possibly adding pieces to the backfield to help achieve that goal.
A few intriguing options could be available, as the Lions are projected to have just over $44 million in salary cap space to make a push to sign a running back in free agency, such as Dion Lewis, Adrian Peterson, Jamaal Charles, Frank Gore, Jeremy Hill, or even Le'Veon Bell. Detroit can finally address their issues running the ball this offseason and finally bring balance to the offense alongside Pro Bowl quarterback Matthew Stafford.
