A Surprising Shakeup at Running Back

I have already expressed my feelings about the Lions' signing of C.J. Anderson. Simply put, I do not think he is as effective as he used to be during his time in Denver. Yes, he did well last year in place of Todd Gurley, but I think he was a beneficiary of the outstanding offensive line that the Los Angeles Rams were able to field, and I questioned how effective he would be here in Detroit. Through the first two weeks, he was not very effective at all, often struggling to get more than 3 yards on a given carry. Now, that does not mean I was expecting the Lions to release him. In fact, I think it is one of the more surprising moves the Lions have made in recent memory. Most, if not all, Lions fans are up in arms about this, and while I understand why that may be the case, especially since we essentially swapped him for a running back who has severely underwhelmed thus far in his young NFL career in Paul Perkins. Now, I am in the minority in that I did not mind this move and I actually am somewhat excited about it, for reasons other than that I am personally not really a fan of Anderson.

1. Cap Room

I am not someone who gets really upset about cap space and whether or not a player "deserves" the amount of money they are given (outside of Matthew Stafford, because the quarterback is the easiest position to evaluate in these terms). That being said, Anderson signed a contract that gave him a decent chunk of money, up to $3 million in incentives, to be exact. The Lions now have more money to play with than they did, which is always a good thing. Will that lead to a big move later on, like a blockbuster trade? I personally doubt it, but cutting Anderson and clearing more cap space certainly leaves the door open for that.

2. Depth Chart

With Anderson no longer in the picture, that means that the door is now open for Ty Johnson to spell Kerryon Johnson. This may be the single greatest reason why I am excited about this move. As I have said time and time again, home run hitters like Ty can win you football games. There is a constant threat of him breaking a long run for a touchdown. Anderson never posed that threat, and that can really hinder an offense. J.D. McKissic is still in the picture, of course, but he is more of a receiving back than a true running back. Now, we no longer have a "big back," but if the offensive line can get some leverage then either of the two Johnson's can get the job done in short-yardage situations.

3. Paul Perkins

Yes, I do have optimism about Perkins. He was an intriguing draft prospect coming out of UCLA who demonstrated impressive quicks and shiftiness, and I thought he would be a good player in this league. He was taken in the fifth round, and was a backup his first year, but by his second year he was given a shot at the starting job. Now, it did not quite work out for him as he had a difficult time trying to find holes behind the New York Giants' barely-there offensive line, and he ended up losing his starting gig in favor of Orleans Darkwa before the Giants drafted Saquon Barkley in the next draft. A change of scenery was necessary for Perkins at this point. He is a known contributor on special teams and I could see him maybe even doing kick returns if the Lions decide to be more cautious with Ty now that Anderson is gone. I do not envision Perkins getting much of a share of carries in the backfield, but you never know.

It was a surprising move by the Lions to release one of their bigger free agent signings of the summer after just two games, but I am not really upset about it. Honestly, it encourages me a bit that the Lions are willing to move on from players that they do not see as major contributors. I really do not believe Anderson was a make-or-break player for us, especially with Ty in the picture, and I wonder if the Lions came to that realization as well and determined that they would rather have the cap space. We will see what Perkins does this season, if anything at all. I do not have the highest expectations for him, but keep an eye out and do not be surprised if he makes some plays for us.