Best 2021 NFL breakout candidate from every team
By Randy Gurzi
Detroit Lions: D’Andre Swift, Running Back
It seems as though the Detroit Lions are cursed at running back. Ever since Barry Sanders left them while still in his prime, they’ve struggled to find a long-term answer at the position. They hoped they had found that in Kerryon Johnson who was taken 43rd overall out of Auburn in 2018.
Johnson even started out strong with 641 yards and three touchdowns as a rookie. But then, his numbers dropped as he missed eight games in 2019, and then in 2020 he fell down the depth chart and had just 52 carries in 16 games.
One of the primary reasons for that was the arrival of D’Andre Swift from Georgia who was the 35th overall pick. Swift had 521 yards and eight touchdowns and proved that he’s ready for more after spending much of the season playing behind veteran Adrian Peterson.
Detroit appears set to turn the ball over to Swift as the bell cow and they added Jamaal Williams in free agency to serve as the primary backup. The Lions also released Johnson, proving that they believe in Swift as the top guy.
Should he continue on the path he was on in 2020, there’s no reason not to expect him to finally be the guy for the Lions at running back. The question is whether or not he can break the curse and stay in the role for the next several seasons.