Former Detroit Lions second-round pick Ameer Abdullah expected to play a large role in the team’s offense when he entered the league back in 2015. Three years later, and it’s readily apparent that the Lions don’t feel he’s capable of being a three-down back.
The Nebraska product is coming off a 2017 campaign that saw him put up 165 rush attempts in 14 games. He averaged a ridiculously low 3.3 yards per attempt in the process. That’s just not going to cut it.
This also led to Detroit selecting running back Kerryon Johnson in the second round of last month’s draft. Apparently, that’s not sitting well with Abdullah.
“It’s frustrating, especially coming from Nebraska where I was the guy, I knew I was going to get the ball at least 20 times a game,” Abdullah said, via MLive.com. “For me, it’s not necessarily getting a certain number of touches. It’s getting meaningful touches and getting into a rhythm. That’s where it gets kind of frustrating.”
It must also be frustrating for the Lions to see Abdullah’s lack of production after they made him a top-60 pick just a few short years ago.
If the smallish back had proven himself capable of making a larger impact, the Lions wouldn’t have signed veteran LeGarrette Blount and drafted the above-mentioned Johnson.
It should be interesting to see what comes of this. But we wouldn’t be surprised if Detroit looked to trade or release Abdullah prior to the start of next season.