Detroit Lions tailback Joique Bell assured everyone he’d rush for over 1,200 yards.
He didn’t even get to a thousand. In fact, bell only reached 311 rushing yards, four touchdowns, and averaged 3.5 yards per carry.
Bell is unfortunately a wasted roster spot. The Lions have three productive tailbacks in Ameer Abdullah, Theo Riddick and Zach Zenner — all of whom are perfectly capable of carrying the workload.
Abdullah is Detroit’s feature back; his electrifying speed and vision is precisely what Detroit lacked at the tailback position. If the Lions improve their offensive line, Abdullah will be that much more potent.
Riddick is a fascinating player. It’s hard to figure out why Detroit underutilized him until the end of the season. He finished with 80 receptions — a franchise record — for 697 yards and three touchdowns. Those are better stats than a lot of Detroit’s other receivers. His lightning agility and ability to make tacklers miss is intriguing. He and Abdullah can be quite the threatening targets in the passing game.
So, these two are speed backs. Shouldn’t Detroit mix it up and keep a bruiser in there?
That’s where Zenner comes in. He’s the authoritative runner who can bulldoze through multiple defenders. Before his injury, he was hitting the holes with more ferocity than Bell. Zenner played in nine less games than Bell, and still finished with the same yards per carry average.
He’s cheaper, younger, and more confident in the backfield. That leaves Bell as the odd man out.
His cap hit will be 3.5 million in 2016. Money like that can be invested in a wide receiver or offensive lineman — two positions Detroit desperately needs. Bell is expendable, and with declining stats, the Lions need to dedicate roster spots to more potential talent like the three aforementioned backs.
It was a nice run for the hometown hero, but his time has come. Detroit needs to rid its roster of dead weight.
