In the third game of his NFL career, Kerryon Johnson became the Lions' first 100-yard rusher in five years.
On Wednesday, he was released.
Derailed by injuries, Johnson could never fulfill the promise he showed as a rookie when he averaged 5.4 yards per carry in 10 games. Knee issues cost him 14 games over his first two seasons and sapped the explosiveness that made him a second-round pick in 2018.
The writing was on the wall for Johnson. The Lions' new regime signed former Packers RB Jamaal Williams this offseason, then added Oregon St. RB and Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year Jermar Jefferson in the draft. Then it added two more running backs on the undrafted free agent market, including former 'Last Chance U' star Rakeem Boyd.
All of whom will vie for playing time behind starter and 2020 second-rounder D'Andre Swift.
Related
Johnson, who turns 24 in June, has averaged just 3.5 yards per carry over the past two seasons. He was a strong pass-blocking back for the Lions last season, but that's a replaceable skill. He turned 52 carries into just 181 yards and two touchdowns.
By cutting him, the Lions will save about $1.4 million against the cap this season.
Johnson dealt with an assortment of injuries at Auburn, but that didn't stop former Lions GM Bob Quinn from trading him up to draft him 43rd overall. Quinn insisted Johnson's injury history wasn't a concern.
"He’ll hold up," Quinn said at the time. "Listen, any player you take, I’d say any position except for maybe corner or receiver out of the SEC, they’re tough and they’re physical. So we feel really good about that. There’s no issues with his durability for us."
But the issues soon cropped up, and now Johnson is done in Detroit.