Ameer Abdullah Could See a Return to the Field This Season – The Question Is: When?
Being a running back in Detroit has been rough in 2016. Injuries have plagued many of the backs, but the one who hasn’t returned from his injury is Ameer Abdullah. The second-year back was put on IR with a torn ligament in his foot and he could return as soon as this Thursday. While that is realistically out of the question, the rest of the season isn’t.
Ameer Abdullah’s Possible Return
So Ameer Abdullah won’t be back this Thanksgiving against the Minnesota Vikings, but he could see a comeback on the field this season. Dave Birkett, beat writer for the Detroit Lions at the Detroit Free Press, tweeted saying that Abdullah is visiting Dr. Anderson on Tuesday and that would give the team a more clear vision of when he could return.
Some speculation is saying that if Abdullah does come back this season he won’t be back until week 14 or 15 at the earliest. Detroit would love to have him back in the late season playoff push as they are still in first place in the division, with a big game on Thanksgiving to see who will take first place in the NFC North.
Would Abdullah Coming Back Hurt or Help?
His return would help the running game for the Lions tremendously. Theo Riddick has been inconsistent while on the ground, as he is primarily a receiving back. Riddick has just 310 yards on 79 carries and just one touchdown in the eight games he has appeared in as he has dealt with injuries this season.
Dwayne Washington has played in six games as he missed time with injuries as well, only getting 108 yards on 41 carries and just one touchdown. Zach Zenner got some more playing time, albeit with injuries, and he only has 36 carries for 110 yards and a touchdown. The Lions had to bring in Justin Forsett as well with how many running backs were knocked out this season, and he has only brought 38 yards on 13 carries.
Having Abdullah coming back will be helpful for Detroit, but they shouldn’t rush him back too quickly. Abdullah missed time last season due to shoulder injury; while appearing in all 16 games he only started in nine. Detroit doesn’t want their starting running back to return too early and mess up his foot and miss even more time. If he can come back at a reasonable time, say around week 15, that seems like the smart option for the team. We won’t know an official update on Abdullah until Tuesday’s meeting with the doctor, but it will be an important one for sure.
Having Ameer come back would create a running threat for the team. In just the two games he played in he had 18 carries for 101 yards. While that itself may not seem impressive, things have changed since week three. The offensive line has improved with Graham Glasgow starting at left guard now and Taylor Decker has been a good left tackle pick for the team. Abdullah has insane cut ability and makes people miss easily, something that Riddick seems to only do when receiving instead of on the ground. With an o-line performing in front of him, we could see some good figure from Abdullah – provided he comes back healthy.
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