The Lions have released Theo Riddick, which comes as a mild surprise (although there was a report last week suggesting it would happen). The most important impact is that the death-grip he's had on the third-down role in Detroit's offense is finally over. It's a new era.
Kerryon Johnson, thus, might be able to stay on the field for all three downs. He's a capable enough receiver, catching 32 passes last year even with Riddick playing in 14 games. When you consider Riddick caught 61 balls last season, it's not out of the question that Johnson can double his production in that area. Detroit's other option, C.J. Anderson, isn't a great pass catcher (some credible production in Denver, but just 8 receptions in 14 games last season); sixth-rounder Ty Johnson also didn't much in that regard in college.
Johnson looked like a possible breakout player anyway. If he can secure those third-down snaps, he might be a top-10 running back.
As for Riddick, it looks like a move that was overdue. There were 40 running backs to see at least 30 targets in the passing game a year ago. Only nine of those backs did less with their opportunities than Riddick did, which isn't a great look for a passing-game specialist.
| RUNNING BACKS YARDS PER TARGET, 2018 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Tgt | Avg/Tgt |
| Kareem Hunt, K.C. | 26 | 378 | 14.5 | 7 | 35 | 10.8 |
| Matt Breida, S.F. | 27 | 261 | 9.7 | 2 | 31 | 8.4 |
| Tarik Cohen, Chi. | 71 | 725 | 10.2 | 5 | 91 | 8.0 |
| Kyle Juszczyk, S.F. | 30 | 324 | 10.8 | 1 | 41 | 7.9 |
| Austin Ekeler, LAC | 39 | 404 | 10.4 | 3 | 53 | 7.6 |
| Jalen Richard, Oak. | 68 | 607 | 8.9 | 0 | 81 | 7.5 |
| Melvin Gordon, LAC | 50 | 490 | 9.8 | 4 | 66 | 7.4 |
| Todd Gurley, LAR | 59 | 580 | 9.8 | 4 | 81 | 7.2 |
| James Conner, Pitt. | 55 | 497 | 9.0 | 1 | 71 | 7.0 |
| Christian McCaffrey, Car. | 107 | 867 | 8.1 | 6 | 124 | 7.0 |
| Duke Johnson, Clev. | 47 | 429 | 9.1 | 3 | 62 | 6.9 |
| Jacquizz Rodgers, T.B. | 38 | 304 | 8.0 | 0 | 45 | 6.8 |
| Alvin Kamara, N.O. | 81 | 709 | 8.8 | 4 | 105 | 6.8 |
| Wendell Smallwood, Phil. | 28 | 230 | 8.2 | 2 | 35 | 6.6 |
| Kenyan Drake, Mia. | 53 | 477 | 9.0 | 5 | 73 | 6.5 |
| Tevin Coleman, Atl. | 32 | 276 | 8.6 | 5 | 44 | 6.3 |
| T.J. Yeldon, Jac. | 55 | 487 | 8.9 | 4 | 78 | 6.2 |
| Elijah McGuire, NYJ | 19 | 193 | 10.2 | 1 | 31 | 6.2 |
| Dalvin Cook, Min. | 40 | 305 | 7.6 | 2 | 49 | 6.2 |
| James White, N.E. | 87 | 751 | 8.6 | 7 | 123 | 6.1 |
| Dion Lewis, Ten. | 59 | 400 | 6.8 | 1 | 67 | 6.0 |
| Ezekiel Elliott, Dall. | 77 | 567 | 7.4 | 3 | 95 | 6.0 |
| Saquon Barkley, NYG | 91 | 721 | 7.9 | 4 | 121 | 6.0 |
| Aaron Jones, G.B. | 26 | 206 | 7.9 | 1 | 35 | 5.9 |
| Ty Montgomery, 2 tms | 25 | 235 | 9.4 | 0 | 40 | 5.9 |
| David Johnson, Ariz. | 50 | 446 | 8.9 | 3 | 76 | 5.9 |
| Kerryon Johnson, Det. | 32 | 213 | 6.7 | 1 | 39 | 5.5 |
| Devontae Booker, Den. | 38 | 275 | 7.2 | 0 | 51 | 5.4 |
| Joe Mixon, Cin. | 43 | 296 | 6.9 | 1 | 55 | 5.4 |
| Nyheim Hines, Ind. | 63 | 425 | 6.7 | 2 | 81 | 5.2 |
| Theo Riddick, Det. | 61 | 384 | 6.3 | 0 | 74 | 5.2 |
| LeSean McCoy, Buff. | 34 | 238 | 7.0 | 0 | 46 | 5.2 |
| Phillip Lindsay, Den. | 35 | 241 | 6.9 | 1 | 47 | 5.1 |
| Jamaal Williams, G.B. | 27 | 210 | 7.8 | 0 | 41 | 5.1 |
| Mike Davis, Sea. | 34 | 214 | 6.3 | 1 | 42 | 5.1 |
| Chris Thompson, Was. | 41 | 268 | 6.5 | 1 | 55 | 4.9 |
| Ito Smith, Atl. | 27 | 152 | 5.6 | 0 | 32 | 4.8 |
| Lamar Miller, Hou. | 25 | 163 | 6.5 | 1 | 35 | 4.7 |
| Javorius Allen, Balt. | 35 | 196 | 5.6 | 2 | 43 | 4.6 |
| Giovani Bernard, Cin. | 35 | 218 | 6.2 | 0 | 48 | 4.5 |
A mild surprise to see a couple of talented players also well down this list -- Phillip Lindsay and Chris Thompson, most notably. There were some major offensive line problems in Washington, and Denver didn't have much of a passing game -- neither had a passer the caliber of Matthew Stafford, anyway.
Riddick might well catch on somewhere; maybe the Bucs will see him as an upgrade on passing downs over Andre Ellington. But it's Johnson who becomes extra-appealing with this development.
--Andy Richardson