It’s been a long time since the team from the Motor City has featured a top ground attack. Have the Detroit Lions finally found the answer to this problem?
Turn on the record player or put the cassette or 8-track tape into the machine. Many surely remember the song “How Long Has This Been Going On?” by the band Ace.
Dating back to the 2014 season, no team in the league has run for fewer yards rushing than the Detroit Lions. The last time the franchise had a player gain at least 1,000 yards on the ground was in 2013 when Reggie Bush (1,006) actually eclipsed that mark.
Over the past six seasons, the Men from Motown have played 96 games and appeared in a pair of postseason contests (2014 and 2016 under then-head coach Jim Caldwell). The Lions have been limited below the century mark in 67 of those regular-season outings as well as both playoff tilts.
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All told, Detroit has finished 28th, 32nd, 30th, 32nd, 23rd and 21st, respectively, in the league in rushing yards per contest since ’14.
But has general manager Bob Quinn finally found the answer to this issue? That was thought to be the case in 2018 when the team used a second-round pick on Auburn running back Kerryon Johnson. But he’s missed a combined 14 games the past two years and run for only 1,044 yards and six scores when available.
Hence the Lions used the 35th overall pick in last week’s draft on Georgia Bulldogs runner D’Andre Swift. He comes from a program that has provided the league with some quality performers at his position in recent years such as Todd Gurley (2015), Sony Michel (2018) and Nick Chubb (2018).
In three seasons with the Bulldogs, he saw his production climb as he became the main threat out of the backfield. The past two seasons, he combined for 359 carries, 2,267 yards and 17 rushing touchdowns. He can also catch the football, totaling 56 receptions for 51 yards and four scores over that same span.
To be fair, the club did average 103.1 yards per game on the ground in 2019 and the Lions’ offense saw veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford go down in November. But this is a club that has been horribly imbalanced for far too long. And perhaps Swift can finally provide the team with a reliable performer out of the backfield.