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The Detroit Lions are dealing with one position of tremendous strength on their team at running back, and that could leave some players expendable as the trade deadline rolls around in a week’s time.
As of now, the path Detroit takes themselves is still up in the air in terms of being buyers or sellers, but it feels as if the team could actually do both and come out ahead this year. One spot they could look to deal from is running back, where Kerryon Johnson, D’Andre Swift and Adrian Peterson have locked down the majority of carries and play so far this year and done so relatively well.
That leaves Bo Scarbrough on the roster, but underused. Sunday, Scarbrough grabbed a seat as the Lions defeated the Atlanta Falcons, and that could lead many to wonder if he’s actually going to be on the trading block soon. A running back needy team could give Scarbrough a bigger role than what he’s seeing in Detroit, and that’s what’s being alluded to as the league rumor mill starts to churn a bit more.
As NFL insider Adam Caplan said on Inside The Birds, he wonders if the Philadelphia Eagles could make a call on Scarbrough to try and get him into the mix to help the team’s power running game.
The Lions and Eagles have hooked up for numerous deals in the past few years, with Golden Tate and Darius Slay both being shipped east for draft pick hauls. Scarbrough wouldn’t be likely to fetch more than a late round pick if he were moved, but it could be a good business decision for both sides to make. Scarbrough would get another fresh start with a chance for more carries, while the Lions would get some type of draft compensation for a player they aren’t exactly utilizing.
As trades go, this is the type of move the Lions could make in terms of shipping a depth player out at this year’s deadline, considering the team theoretically remains in the playoff picture.
Bo Scarbrough Stats
How did Scarbrough get to a regular role in the NFL? Working in a major tandem backfield with the Crimson Tide, Scarbrough was a seventh round pick of the Dallas Cowboys in 2018. After being released in Dallas, Scarborough played for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Seattle Seahawks, a place he stuck until 2019, when he was released as part of final roster cuts in late August.
As a member of the Crimson Tide, Scarbrough was a solid running back. He accounted for 1,512 yards and 20 touchdowns with Alabama, and was the MVP of the Peach Bowl in 2016. The Lions ground game was in bad shape given injury and inconsistency in 2019, and Scarbrough made the most of his late season chance with the team. That season, he rushed for 377 yards and 1 touchdown in the absence of Kerryon Johnson due to injury. This year, he hasn’t seen a snap in Detroit given much better depth at the position he plays.
Bo Scarbrough’s Future With Lions
In essentially what was a job audition for 2020, Scarbrough managed to make a big impression early on for the Lions, which is something that fans were very happy to see. In spite of that, the Lions drafted Swift, signed Peterson and still have Johnson on the roster. That means a serious lack of play time never mind carries for folks like Scarbrough, who are trying just to stay with the team. Detroit’s problem at the moment revolves around getting an elite Swift more carries, so it’s possible Scarbrough is an afterthought now with improved depth on the team.
If he stays with Detroit, Scarbrough could be expected to continue to ride the bench in the coming weeks barring any type of injury harming the team’s currently loaded backfield. Knowing this, it’s possible that a trade to a team like the Eagles could make plenty of sense.
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