Detroit Lions: How the offense is affected by Theo Riddick’s release
The Detroit Lions parted ways with combo receiving back, Theo Riddick, this week. He had spent all six of his seasons in Detroit, but he will now join the Denver Broncos for the 2019 campaign.
The Detroit Lions cleared some cap space this week by releasing Theo Riddick. They did so to bring in Mike Daniels, a costly defensive tackle from Green Bay. To be fair, adding Daniels to an already formidable defensive formation is a huge positive. Even still, it is bittersweet saying goodbye to Riddick.
As a four-year player at Notre Dame, Riddick established himself as a dual running and receiving option for the Fighting Irish. He became the team’s leading rusher in his senior year, with over 900 yards in 190 attempts. Until that point, he was also a top-three receiver in South Bend. Because of his offensive success and variety, the Lions drafted him in the sixth round in the 2013 draft.
In Detroit, Riddick continued that diverse success. Since his rookie season, he has amassed enough yards to be the fourth-highest rusher and the fourth-highest receiver (over that time period). In fact, he is a top-20 Lion for both rushing and receiving yards in the Super Bowl era. The only other players who can claim that same honor? Barry Sanders and James Jones. Good company, indeed.
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His most productive season in Detroit was in 2015, where he combined for 830 yards of total offense on 123 touches. The following year, 2016, saw Riddick taking over as the first running back on the depth chart, although this season was hampered by a nagging wrist injury. In six seasons and 84 games, Riddick contributed nineteen touchdowns–fourteen through the air and five on the ground. He was also able to maintain an excellent catch rate of 77%, as many of his receptions came on screen passes in a short backfield.
What does this mean for the offense going forward? To make up for Riddick’s rushing yards (which had been on the decline, anyway), the Lions have to hope Kerryon Johnson stays healthy and C.J. Anderson continues to be as reliable as he has been for his previous teams. Replacing his receiving yards may be a bit more of an issue.
Far and away, Riddick was the team leader in short screen passes. The confidence in him was especially evident in the amount of second- and third-down targets. We could expect to see Johnson and Anderson take on more of these types of passes, or there could be an uptick in tight end usage. Between first-round draft pick, T.J. Hockenson, and free-agent signee, Jesse James, the Lions have room to experiment with screenplays directed at tight ends.
The Detroit Lions likely moved on from Theo Riddick for financial reasons; he was released the day after Mike Daniels signed for $9.1 million. By releasing him, the Lions were able to save $3.6 million.
This makes sense. Football is a business, after all. Nevertheless, the Lions’ backfield is going to look different in 2019. Riddick had a nice career in Detroit, and it will be strange to see him in a Bronco uniform. It will not be long, though, before they see him again: the Lions play in Denver on December 22.