Getty Craig Reynolds running against Atlanta in 2022.
The Detroit Lions revealed their initial 53-man roster for the 2022 season, and an underrated player in running back Craig Reynolds was a part of the team.
Reynolds had to earn his way back on the team once again after even establishing himself late during the 2021 season, and the discussions about whether to keep him apparently went down to the eleventh-hour in Detroit.
As shown on Hard Knocks, Reynolds has made quite a favorable impression on his staff just a year into playing with the Lions. That made it impossible for the team to move on in spite of a tough competition at running back that had several solid combatants.
As Jeremy Hoff showed with a tweet snippet from the show, the staff and Dan Campbell are discussing roster battles and Reynolds in a meeting. The conference suddenly turns into a love-fest for Reynolds.
Enjoyed this scene on Hard Knocks …
Lions coaches talking about if they should keep RB Craig Reynolds.
Coaches say the OLine loves him and if you cut him you will have some linemen come knocking on your door
“We all love Craig, but we’re not going to find anything else out about Craig that we don’t already know,” Campbell says. “We’d be sick to our stomach if we lost him.”
“I wouldn’t cut him,” says John Morton, a member of the team’s offensive staff, breaking the silence. “He’s everything we represent.”
Running back coach Duce Staley quickly agrees.
“I’m thinking about the team now too, our offense. What he brings with those linemen, that relationship,” Staley says.
Campbell then throws it to offensive line coach Hank Fraley to see what the offensive front thinks of Reynolds as a teammate.
“They just love him, what he brings, protection, all that stuff. They love him,” Fraley says.
As a result, Staley says some of the players might have words for the staff if Reynolds goes.
“You give ’em Craig if you want to, you might just have some linemen come knock on our doors to talk,” Staley adds.
The exchange shows just how much the Lions value Reynolds as not only a player, but a member of the team. Often times, chemistry is a big part of decisions, and Reynolds seems to have made the team based on not only his play, but relationships and hard work.
It was a tough decision for the Lions to make all their cuts as this shows, but obviously, Reynolds is special having cracked the roster again to earn his shot.
Reynolds Earned Role in Busy RB Room
Keeping Reynolds may not have been an easy choice simply because of what the Lions have around him at the position. Not only are they loaded in terms of starters, but backups as well.
Detroit has D’Andre Swift primed for a big season as the starter, and Jamaal Williams is a quality running mate for him. Outside of that, the team was wrestling with whether to keep special teams standout Godwin Igwebuike as well as 2021 sixth-round pick Jermar Jefferson. Additionally, Justin Jackson had an impressive camp and preseason.
In the end, Igwebuike and Jackson were cut, leaving Reynolds and Jefferson on the team. Both could return in some form, but it shows just how hard of a decision the Lions had to make at running back given the great depth their roster has at this moment.
Winning that battle was no small feat in the end for Reynolds.
Reynolds Made Solid Case for Roster
It would have been tempting for folks to write off Reynolds or forget about him entirely based on the depth of the Lions running back room, but he’s clearly still a force.
During the preseason opener, Reynolds showed the same bounce in his step that he always has, putting up 13 yards on 3 carries. Reynolds always seems to be able to offer a stark reminder that he’s to be taken seriously whenever he touches the ball.
While Igwebuike, Jackson and Jefferson all had their moments, Reynolds seemed to be setting himself up well for a potential role moving forward given how solid he has looked running the ball.
As he said speaking to the media on August 15, he feels his second-year experience with the Lions is providing him a major boost on the field.
“It’s definitely an advantage and it feels good,” Reynolds said. “Prior in my career, we’re bouncing around and stuff but like I said, just trying to fight, stay hungry and battle day in and day out and compete.”
Late last season, Reynolds put up great numbers with a total of 230 yards on the ground. With his late-season experience, it’s not a shock to see Reynolds earn his stay again with the Lions thanks to simple hard work.
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