The Detroit Lions are signing a future Hall of Famer to join their backfield, a guy who was a contemporary of the best wide receiver in team history, Calvin Johnson, and one who is chasing the career rushing yards total of the best player in franchise history, Barry Sanders.
But the Adrian Peterson the Detroit Lions are getting is not the in-his-prime version they once had to face twice a year with the Minnesota Vikings. The version they are getting is older. And more situational.
Peterson still is a talented back. Even at age 35, he should be able to offer the Lions something after rushing 462 times for 1,940 yards and 12 touchdowns during his two-year stint in Washington that ended with his release Friday.
A week ago, it looked like he was going to be on Washington’s roster and potentially a key contributor there until the franchise chose to go in a different direction with all younger backs.
Now Peterson enters a room where every back is age 23 or younger. None have more than two years of experience entering this season. So at worst for the Lions, this ends up being another sort of mentorship for Kerryon Johnson and D'Andre Swift, the two backs Detroit expects to use the most this season.
After the Lions played Washington last season, Bo Scarbrough -- Detroit’s leading rusher that game -- had a signed jersey from Peterson hanging in his locker with a personal message written on it. It was something that Scarbrough says meant a lot to him.
Now, it’s possible Peterson ends up taking Scarbrough's role in the offense.
The Lions always were going to use a running back by committee approach this season. It’s what coach Matt Patricia has long preferred and what he was used to from his days in New England. When the Lions drafted Swift in April, general manager Bob Quinn said they wanted to have multiple backs, and they would find uses for all of them.
View the Peterson signing with that in mind. He likely won’t interfere with what Swift will do for Detroit -- they are completely different in style, and Swift is more likely the pass-catching back, a skill set Peterson has, but with limited effectiveness.
Where Peterson could have an impact is on early downs and in short-yardage and goal-line scenarios. This could impact how Detroit uses Kerryon Johnson and either Scarbrough or Ty Johnson. Assuming the Lions are bringing in Peterson with a plan on how to use him -- and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell has experience with Peterson from their four years together in Minnesota at the start of his career -- this could mean fewer carries for Kerryon Johnson and a completely diminished role for Scarbrough or Ty Johnson.
That could help Kerryon Johnson stay fresher throughout the season and mitigate some of his injury risk, too. Johnson has missed at least six games each season with knee injuries and now runs with a brace on his right knee.
Having Peterson to share that workload as he tries to gain the 1,053 yards necessary to tie Sanders for fourth all time in career yardage could potentially keep Johnson healthy for a full season for the first time in his career.
This isn’t Detroit’s first attempt to bolster the roster with a veteran running back, either. It’s something the Lions have tried to do since Patricia was hired by the franchise in 2018. First it was LeGarrette Blount, who had 154 carries for 418 yards and five touchdowns in 2018. Last season, the Lions signed C.J. Anderson, who played in two games before being released.
Peterson is a different class of back than those players, but the premise remains the same: Find a back to establish a veteran presence and get the last bit out of him if you can. When the club signed Anderson, he was coming off a successful playoff run with the Rams, and when they signed Blount, he had an NFL-best 18 touchdowns two seasons earlier. Detroit ended up being the last stop for both of those players in their careers.
The Lions have to hope Peterson potentially will provide a different experience. He should contribute as a mentor since all four of Detroit’s other backs grew up in an era watching Peterson in his prime. They should undoubtedly be able to learn from him.
If Peterson can give the Lions a facsimile of what he did on the field even in Washington the past two seasons, he would be a boon for Detroit’s offense, as no Lions back has gained more than Kerryon Johnson’s 641 yards in a season since 2015.
Even seemingly in decline, Peterson still rushed for 898 yards and 4.3 yards per carry last season. So the reasoning is there for why the Lions want to add Peterson to their backfield. The question will be how much they use him and how much the future Hall of Famer really has left.