Jay Ajayi hasn't played in the NFL in over a year. He's hoping that changes sooner rather than later. On Friday, Ajayi was set to have a workout with the Detroit Lions, ESPN's Adam Schefter has reported. Ajayi, a veteran running back who helped the Philadelphia Eagles win their first Super Bowl in 2017, hasn't played since tearing his ACL five games into the 2018 season. Ajayi reportedly worked out for the Arizona Cardinals last week before the Cardinals acquired Kenyan Drake in a trade with the Miami Dolphins.
In 42 regular-season games, Ajayi, a former fifth-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, has rushed for 2,516 yards and 13 touchdowns while averaging 4.5 yards per carry. He rushed for 184 yards (while averaging 4.4 yards per carry) during the Eagles' 2017 postseason, a run that ended with a Super Bowl victory. Ajayi, who was traded from the Miami Dolphins to the Eagles during the 2017 regular season, was named to the Pro Bowl in 2016 while helping the Dolphins make the playoffs for the first time since 2016. He rushed for 1,272 yards and eight touchdowns that season while rushing for over 200 yards in two different games.
Detroit, 3-3-1 entering Sunday's road game against the Oakland Raiders, are extremely thin at the running back position. Kerryon Johnson, the Lions' starting running back for the first six games, is expected to miss all or most of the remainder of the season sustaining a knee injury in Detroit's Week 7 loss to the Minnesota Vikings -- he was placed on injured reserve. Tra Carson, who received a team-high 12 rushing attempts in last Sunday's win over the Oakland Raiders, was limited during Thursday's practice with a sore hamstring.
With Johnson and Carson dealing with injuries, Ty Johnson and J.D. McKissic are the Lions' only healthy options at the running back position. Johnson (30 carries for 180 yards) is the team's second-leading rusher through seven games, while McKissic has rushed for 108 yards on 16 carries.
Detroit's running game is currently ranked 22nd in the NFL with a team average of 3.6 yards per carry. Conversely, the Lions' passing game, led by quarterback Matt Stafford, is ranked fifth in the league.
