Kerryon JohnsonRB | Lions

Johnson is expected to be a featured player in 2019 under new offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, Will Burchfield of 97.1 FM The Ticket reports. "[Johnson] is a guy that's talented in the running game, but I'm also excited to see some of things I've heard about, his ability in the passing game -- which I think can really be a bonus for our offense," Bevell recently said.February 21, 2019 | 12:38 PM

The 2018 second-rounder was slowly brought along as the lead runner in the Lions backfield his rookie year, to the point where Johnson was seeing roughly 18 touches per game before going down with a minor knee sprain in Week 11. That respectable level of involvement could reasonably be viewed as the Auburn product's floor entering the 2019 season given Detroit's stated intent on moving to a more run-based, clock-controlling offensive system under Bevell. How effective that system will be greatly depends on the degree to which quarterback Matthew Stafford bounces back, but Johnson could be primed for a workhorse role regardless.