NFL

5 Running Back Training Camp Battles to Watch This Offseason

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Detroit Lions

You don't draft an electric, highly explosive running back in the second round of the NFL Draft without at least giving him the chance to compete for a significant role in the offense.

Especially not when your incumbent is a 29-year old running back coming off knee and Achilles surgery from earlier this offseason.

So despite reports that the Lions expect Joique Bell to be their primary option in this backfield, rookie tailback Ameer Abdullah may have other plans in mind.

Abdullah packs quite a punch into his small 5' 9", 205-pound frame. Not since Jahvid Best was on this team has Detroit had a back as explosive and dangerous in the open-field as the rookie out of Nebraska.

And with Bell's less than stellar -0.03 Rushing NEP and 41.1% Success Rate last season -- which ranked him in the middle- and bottom-third of the league, respectively, in these categories -- the door is wide open for Abdullah to come in and solidify his role on this team as more than just a change-of-pace option.