6 years agoDetroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia doesn't think rookie running back Kerryon Johnson needs more carries after Johnson had just nine carries in the Week 4 loss to the Cowboys. LeGarrette Blount has run for 95 yards through four games, while Johnson has 216 yards on three fewer carries. "I think Kerryon played a significant amount of the game. He played 20 snaps at 55 (yards), that's a good amount. Plus, we had two other running backs, plus we had a couple two-minute drives in there with some other personnel packages and things like that. So, there were quite a few reps in there for Kerryon," Patricia said. Johnson played just 20 of the 55 offensive snaps, which was five fewer than Theo Riddick and six more than Blount with the team facing a large deficit. Johnson is clearly the team's best running back, but they continue to use them in a committee, mainly to keep them all fresh and healthy. Detroit's running game as a whole has been more productive this year, averaging 4.6 yards per carry, which is up more than a yard from 2017. Johnson's upside is palpable, but until he sees more touches on a weekly basis, he'll merely be an RB3/flex option in deeper leagues.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBaller
Source: MLive - Kyle Meinke