Never heard of Craig Reynolds? Neither had most of his teammates before Reynolds said his hellos in the first huddle of his first preseason game with the Lions. You’ve heard of Reynolds now. So have the Cardinals. The dude who goes by ‘Netflix’ is becoming something of a Hollywood Story in Detroit.
Reynolds began the season as a fifth-string running back and ripped through the NFL's fifth-ranked defense in the first start of his career Sunday to help the Lions pull off one of the most stunning wins of the year. That's just the half of it.
"Craig was running his freaking butt off," said fullback Jason Cabinda.
Never heard of Kutztown University? Lions GM Brad Holmes probably hadn't either before he signed Reynolds this summer. That's the Division II school where Reynolds played his college ball before he spent a couple seasons bouncing around the NFL. And that's where Reynolds was playing the last time he got 26 carries in a game. He guesses it was three years ago.
He showed no rust on Sunday. He must have knocked it off last week when he turned 11 carries into 83 yards against the Broncos in his Lions debut. He turned 26 carries into 112 yards in his encore, and he's got more shows to come. Reynolds was on his couch four months ago watching shows on Netflix. That's where he gets the name, courtesy of Lions running backs coach Deuce Staley. It works because Reynolds is worth watching.
He showed up for the Lions preseason opener a day after being signed, introduced himself to his new teammates on the field -- “They were like, ‘Yo, what’s your name?’” he said -- and then greeted the end zone on a 30-yard touchdown. He eventually earned a spot on Detroit's practice squad in a crowded running backs room. Slowly, that room has thinned out. D'Andre Swift is injured. Jamaal Williams is in COVID protocol. Reynolds has leapt rookie Jermar Jefferson and Godwin Igwebuike to take control of the backfield.
And now he's got more rushing yards over his first two games with the Lions than all but one player in franchise history: 1980 Offensive Rookie of the Year Billy Sims. Yep, Reynolds even has more than Barry.
"Craig the last couple weeks has been unbelievable," said left tackle Taylor Decker. "I just told him, 'You deserve it. You deserve the recognition, you deserve to play well. You’re running the hell out of the ball. You’re going to be sore as hell tomorrow and you deserve it.'"
Reynolds runs loudly, 215 pounds of muscle rumbling downhill. He speaks softly. He called it "a blessing" that his coaches and teammates "have the faith in me to give me the ball" on Sunday as many times as they did. Asked if this was how he envisioned his NFL debut, Reynolds said, "I just wanted to go out there and win, whatever it took." He said he would have been just as happy blocking. It was easy to believe him.
The NFL requires talent. And talent requires an opportunity to shine. Reynolds never got much of an opportunity with Washington, where he signed as an undrafted free agent in 2019, or with Atlanta, where he was cut at the end of training camp in 2020, or with Jacksonville, where he spent most of last season on the practice squad. He had to wait for his opportunity in Detroit.
"He’s gotten two now back to back and he’s showed up," said Dan Campbell.
Reynolds had one career carry before last Sunday. He's got more coming his way. It helps to run behind an offensive line that's starting to flex its muscle. This sort of dependable rushing attack is exactly what Campbell and Holmes envisioned when they took over this team; it's exactly what this fanbase has envisioned since the day Barry called it quits. The Lions are churning up yards with whatever they've got. Right now they've got Reynolds. And "he's got some ability," said Decker.
"We're just deep at that position. Fortunately he finally got a shot and he took full advantage of it. Craig didn’t bat an eye (today). He’s not scared to run downhill and make a cut. I feel like he’s got a really natural feel for where the hole is going to be and how to set up the linebackers to set up our blocks," Decker said.
Running backs come from everywhere in the NFL. The Lions already have two good ones in Swift and Williams, a pair of college stars who were destined for the pros. No one knew about Reynolds out of Kutztown University. The Lions have only known about him for a few months. The rest of the NFL is catching up, as Reynolds keeps sprinting ahead.
"My teammates, I love those guys, man," he said. "They've had my back since the first day I got here and everybody was asking my name."