Detroit Lions position battles and roster breakdown: Running back
By Zac Snyder
Who is new
After much speculation that the Lions could make a splash at running back in the draft if not free agency, the Lions mostly stood pat. However, there are a couple new faces who could be a factor.
While the Lions didn’t draft a running back, they did add Tion Green as an undrafted free agent out of Cincinnati. At 6 feet and 230 pounds, he is a bigger body than the Lions have returning. He could have been drafted and no one would have batted an eye and has the kind of profile many have felt the Lions need to add. Consider this from Lance Zierlein’s pre-draft scouting report for NFL.com:
"When the rubber hits the road, Green is going to be more of a grinder than a creator as a runner. With that said, he does have good foot quickness and he’s not a tight-hipped runner, so he might be a fit for a team looking for a big, one-cut runner. Green isn’t going to make defenders miss that often, but he does flash some three-down potential and could make a 53-man roster if he can pull his weight on special teams."
But Green isn’t the only addition who could fill a short-yardage role. Matt Asiata took part in the Lions’ rookie minicamp as tryout. He wasn’t immediately signed but did become a Lion before the close of May.
Just how much Asiata can contribute remains to be seen. He’s coming off a season in which he averaged just 3.3 yards per carry but did post a career-high 8.2 yards per reception on 32 catches.