Training camps across the league are on the horizon, and several veterans are still looking to find jobs somewhere within the NFL, with some of those players having direct ties to the Detroit Lions.
While there likely won't be any notable reunions in the Motor City at this stage of the offseason, the Lions are lucky to be in a position where the aren't many questions concerning the make-up of this roster, there should be opportunities elsewhere between now and Week 1 and one former Lions rusher is just waiting for the call to come so that he can get into a training camp and prove himself, once again.
Former Lions RB Ameer Abdullah Still Unemployed as Camp Begins
Detroit selected Ameer Abdullah with the No. 54 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, and the former Nebraska Cornhuskers star was still going strong this past season as a member of the Las Vegas Raiders' running back room.
Despite being on the wrong side of 30 years old, Abdullah turned the clock back a bit during the 2024 campaign as he put together one of his best years in recent memory, finishing the season with 106 total touches, 66 rushing attempts, and 40 receptions, for 572 yards and five total touchdowns.
Over his three seasons with the Raiders, Abdullah appeared in 50 games and put up numbers that were only outdone by his tenure with Detroit at the start of his NFL career. For a player who can be had for the veteran's minimum, that type of production from a veteran who was sharing snaps with two other backs should be enough to get a chance from another franchise.
While it likely isn't the route he was hoping to navigate, Abdullah may be stuck waiting for an injury to occur somewhere during training camp, prompting the need for an outside addition to be made. As long as he stays in the right physical and mental condition moving forward, something that should be the mantra for all professional athletes, the former Lion will be ready for the opportunity whenever it comes.