The Lions averted a serious situation this past weekend when David Montgomery had to leave the game against Tampa Bay in the first half due to a rib injury.
Detroit was forced to rely on Craig Reynolds and practice squad player Devin Ozigbo to shoulder the load, and the two combined for only 20 rushing yards on 13 carries, as well as three receptions for 36 yards.
That isn’t a recipe for long-term success, which is why Lions coach Dan Campbell revealed Montgomery will “miss some time” due to his injury.
Even if Jahmyr Gibbs returns this week, it’s evident that the Lions system operates best with two consistent running backs.
three free agents Lions Could Sign RBs
If the Lions are going to add a running back, they may want to act quickly.
On Tuesday, the Green Bay Packers added James Robinson and the Los Angeles Rams added Darrell Henderson Jr., further narrowing the pool of available alternatives.
Let’s take a look at some of the more fascinating players who could join Detroit.
Leonard Fournette
Playoff This season, Lenny has drawn interest from a number of teams, including Buffalo, which canceled a visit on Tuesday.
That indicates that there is at least some interest in Fournette, which there should be!
Fournette is past his peak and shouldn’t be counted on to be a bell-cow running back, but his style of play could replace Montgomery’s job in the short term.
He should still have some juice left in him at the age of 28. His 3.5 yards per rush last season isn’t encouraging, but he has shown the ability to be efficient while carrying many carries.
Dontrell Hilliard
Hilliard was quite efficient in a limited role with Tennessee last season, carrying 22 times for 145 yards (6.6 yards per carry), and he’s averaged 5.9 yards per carry in his career!
Hilliard is 28, but he has limited NFL experience and could be ideal for a larger role while Montgomery is sidelined.
He’s also a capable pass-catcher, with 62 career grabs for 463 yards, which may allow Gibbs to take on more totes.
Caleb Huntley
Huntley had a strong rookie season last year, running for 366 yards on 76 attempts (4.8 yards per rush).
However, he was not re-signed by Atlanta because he tore his achilles late last season, and the team selected Bijan Robinson in the NFL Draft, therefore removing Huntley from consideration.
The 25-year-old lacks experience and is coming off a devastating injury, but he may have the most upside of any running back available right now.
Given that he has never signed a big-money contract, Huntley should be available on the cheap if he is ready to play again.
Leave a Reply