The Detroit Lions have wrapped up the 2021 season. Over the next two weeks, MLive will hand out reviews for each of the team’s position groups. Previous entries: Quarterbacks
RUNNING BACKS
Starters: D’Andre Swift, Jamaal Williams, FB Jason Cabinda
Backups: Craig Reynolds, Godwin Igwebuike, Jermar Jefferson
Key stats: The Lions averaged 4.4 yards per rushing attempt. That mark was 11th best in the league while representing their best finish in yards per attempt since ranking 13th in 2011. Detroit hadn’t averaged that many yards per attempt since finishing ninth in 2004 when then-rookie Kevin Jones ran for 1,133 yards. D’Andre Swift delivered the two best performances of his career in back-to-back weeks. He ran for 130 yards and then 136 yards before suffering a shoulder injury that cost him four games down the stretch. Swift finished with 617 yards and five touchdowns while serving as one of the best pass-catchers at his position. The second-year back caught 62 balls on 78 targets for 452 yards and two touchdowns. He was fourth among running backs in receptions and fifth in receiving yards despite missing those four games. Swift led the team with 1,069 scrimmage yards and tied for the lead for total touchdowns with seven. Jamaal Williams was no slouch either despite missing four games due to various issues. Williams ran for a career-high 601 yards while starting 11 games. He scored three times, adding 26 catches for 157 yards. It’s the first time the Lions had two running backs gain more than 600 yards in the same season since Reggie Bush and Joique Bell did it in 2013.
Ben’s grade: B-
Breakdown: Brad Holmes identified the team’s trench play and running backs as strengths coming out of Year 1 of the rebuild. This new coaching staff and regime said they wanted to run the ball on Day 1. And while it wasn’t always perfect, there are building blocks that make it easy to see this thing hitting another level.
Detroit’s offensive line deserves a ton of credit for the team’s success on the ground. Swift and Williams formed a versatile one-two punch behind that group while doing very different things. That’s reason for optimism, especially considering Dan Campbell and the staff’s offensive creativity coming into focus in the season’s second half.
Swift’s campaign more or less came to a screeching halt on Thanksgiving. He returned for the final two games, running 11 times for 62 yards and one touchdown while catching six balls for only 23 yards. Still, it’s worth remembering he was the team’s focal point in the passing attack more times than not through the first half of the year. And those two games before the injury were wildly impressive while showing a different side to his game in cold-weather cities Pittsburgh and Cleveland. Swift carried the ball 33 times in Pittsburgh, then returned the next week and ran for a career-best showing against the Browns. Seeing the second-year back handle that type of workload was new. Those 33 carries served as the lone game he drew more than 15 attempts.
Now, the Lions want to see Swift take the next steps as a pass-catching back when it comes to better identifying coverages. He saw more work than he had in a minute from the slot and out wide in the final two weeks. And while that could have been decoy duty, it’s something to watch heading into next season as the team looks to maximize his ability.
“But I think that when you got a dynamic running back like Swift, who can also hurt you in the passing game,” Lions running backs and assistant head coach Duce Staley said. “You got to get better as a pass receiver. So, what does that mean? You gotta learn coverages. Coverages are No. 1. You got to understand what they’re trying to do to you, no matter if you’re coming out of the backfield or you’re spread out in empty. That’s one of the things I can be better at teaching him. He’s been learning. I’ve been teaching him and he’s been getting. He understands. I just got to find more ways to continue to hammer the point home.”
Williams didn’t light the world on fire but was a consistent producer while lauded for the energy he brought every day to the locker room. The running back made the jump across Lake Michigan in free agency and quickly established himself through his up-tempo and occasional oddball press conferences. He was all business on the field, though. The five-year pro tied a career-high in carries (153) while setting a new best in yards (601). He moved the chains 42 times on the ground while averaging 3.9 yards per attempt. That per attempt average dipped down the stretch. Williams added 2.75 yards after contact per carry and fumbled the ball only once while clanging between the tackles.
It’s not just the top two names that have Holmes and the Lions feeling good. Craig Reynolds got his long-awaited shot off the practice squad late in the year. Reynolds ran for 83 yards in his debut, then went off for 112 yards while carrying the ball 26 times. He was the top-rated running back from Pro Football Focus for both performances. Reynolds impressed while forcing 10 missed tackles through those two games leading the charge. He added 213 of his 230 rushing yards after contact per PFF.
Godwin Igwebuike’s season ended on a rough note. The converted safety fumbled in consecutive games, then didn’t see another rush attempt across the final three weeks. Jermar Jefferson’s touches were even more limited. The seventh-round rookie ran 15 times for 74 yards and two touchdowns. He appeared in seven games while getting the healthy scratch through the final three weeks.
Swift has two more seasons left on his rookie deal. Jefferson has three remaining while Williams is signed for another season. Reynolds is under control through 2022 after getting signed to the main roster.
Related headlines:
2022 NFL draft: 5 running backs to watch for the Detroit Lions
Lions RB D’Andre Swift ends Year 2 on high note, boosting team’s much-improved rushing attack
RB Craig Reynolds finally earns contract with 53-man roster after historic start in Detroit
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