Detroit Lions Should Switch Joique Bell For Zach Zenner

If Joique Bell has any hopes of reaching the 1,200 rushing yards he promised, his 1.1 yards per carry average needs to improve drastically. Bell doesn’t look like the same guy who rushed for over 800 yards last season, revitalizing the Detroit Lions‘ rushing attack during the second half of 2014. The Lions want to run the football. Jim Caldwell preaches this over and over again.

But Bell’s hesitance and degraded vision aren’t a testament to this. His longest run has gone for seven yards. And he’s only rushed for a mere 22 yards. For whatever reasons, he’s missing the holes and not running with the same punishing authority Detroit fans once applauded. At this point, he’s a detriment to the Lions. The more they feed him the ball, the more they deprive explosive players like Ameer Abdullah and Theo Riddick. They’re squandering precious downs and yardage.

Of course, Abdullah and Riddick can’t be expected to shoulder the loads themselves. A third guy is a must. And that third guy should be Zach Zenner, the preseason phenomenon who seemed to always gain and fight for yards. If Bell was as effective as he was last year, this wouldn’t be a debate. Viewers could deem this article pointless and click out of it, but the truth stands — Bell isn’t what he once was.

At this point, the Lions have absolutely nothing to lose when interchanging Bell for Zenner. Their rushing attack ranks last, and the offense is derailed. Zenner is the power back that will complement Abdullah and Riddick. It’s safe to bet that he’ll accumulate more than Bell’s 1.1 average. The Lions need a runner that will bulldoze with certainty. Zenner led the preseason in rushing, pounded his way into the end zone numerous times and fared well in Detroit’s dress rehearsal.

Detroit’s offense is floundering. Change is needed, and the running game is a good place to start. Zenner isn’t the cure-all, but he’s a good start. He’ll definitely garner more yardage than Bell, allowing Abdullah and Riddick more touches. Even if it doesn’t work out, it’s not the end of the world. Bell isn’t producing, and Detroit’s 0-3. And at 0-3, the Lions really have nowhere else to turn and nothing left to lose.