Last year, the Detroit Lions made significant expenditures in their backfield, signing free agent David Montgomery and spending a first-round draft pick on Jahmyr Gibbs. Now, after the Lions used another draft pick this year to improve their running game, one of the backfield’s longest-tenured players could be on his way out. Mike Payton of AtoZ Sports predicted that third-year running back Craig Reynolds would not make the final 53-man roster this season.
Last Chance for Lions Running Back
Payton pegged Gibbs and Montgomery as the team’s starters for the coming season, predicting that former New York Jets running back Zonovan Knight and rookie Sione Vaki would round out the backfield as reserves. He noted that Reynolds may just miss out on a roster spot.
“Vaki is going to be a fun addition to an already really fun backfield,” he wrote in a pre-training camp prediction of the final roster. “I’ve gone back and forth on Craig Reynolds and Zonovan Knight as the fourth guy. It’s hard to rule out Knight. He just has so much potential.”
Knight took on a meaningful role in his rookie season with the New York Jets in 2022, rushing for 300 yards with 1 touchdown and adding 13 receptions for 100 yards. He joined the Lions last season but appeared in just two games, rushing three times for 13 yards and making one catch for 8 yards.
If he ends up on the roster bubble, Reynolds’ versatility and special teams play may give him an advantage. Last year, he played a career-high 211 special teams snaps and rushed 41 times for 179 yards and one touchdown. In his preview of the 2024 backfield, Tim Twentyman, a reporter for the team’s official website, mentioned that Reynolds made significant contributions outside of the rushing game.
