Getty C.J. Prosise celebrates a score.
The Detroit Lions are thinking about how they might work the waiver wire to start the camp period of the 2020 offseason and are off to a hot start in terms of getting folks in for workouts.
Thursday, the Lions brought 7 players in for workouts. Quite possibly the biggest name for the team was running back C.J. Prosise, formally of the Seattle Seahawks.
Detroit also worked out offensive lineman and former Michigan State Spartans prospect Brian Allen, offensive lineman Erik Magnuson who was a former Michigan Wolverine, cornerback Dominique Hatfield, defensive end Avery Moss, running back Troymaine Pope, and running back Jonathan Williams.
Obviously, the headliner of this entire bunch is Prosise, who is a talented runner when he is healthy and certainly a player who could add some punch to a crowded backfield situation in Detroit. Few of the positions the Lions are looking at in terms of the players are needs, so these could be potential depth buys for the team in the meantime.
Prosise has talent, but he’s also faced his share of health issues in the NFL which is why he is a free agent at this point in his young career.
C.J. Prosise Stats
A 2016 3rd round pick out of Notre Dame, Prosise is just 26 years old and was a former starter for Seattle. He had his moments with the Seahawks, but could not stay healthy early in his career. In each of his first 3 seasons in the league, Prosise has been limited by injury which led Seattle to finally move on following the 2019 season. Last year, Prosise lost time with a broken arm. Providing he is over that and healthy off everything else including scapula, groin, abdomen and hip injuries, he could be an interesting depth piece.
Darrell Bevell will know Prosise from his time in Seattle and be able to vouch for him, so if the Lions do end up making a signing, that will certainly be something to keep in mind.
Lions Loaded at Running Back
Why look at running backs? It’s an interesting question. Detroit has a solid player on their team currently in Kerryon Johnson that they are developing. Johnson, however, has run into a few issues with injuries the last few years, so the team was looking for someone else that can be a solid running mate for Johnson moving forward. On the roster, Bo Scarbrough showed late last season that he could be a potential answer for the team in addition to Ty Johnson, but still, the Lions were looking for someone else to build around. That’s why they felt as if they may want to target the draft, which is where D’Andre Swift came in along with Jason Huntley later. The team could also look to free agency for another veteran running back, but now it seems as if the team is happy with what they have done to upgrade the backfield with the right amount of youth.
Now that the Lions have managed to add another running back and some pounding offensive linemen, the team is seemingly on the right track toward fixing one of their biggest problems of the last few years, and are deep at the position. Do they need some additional help and depth, though?
If so, Prosise could be an interesting buy for the team providing he is healthy and able to contribute.
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