MIAMI -- Of course the Detroit Lions were going to struggle to replace a generational talent like Barry Sanders. But it’s been more than two decades since Sanders last ran laps around the Pontiac Silverdome, and Detroit’s running game still hasn’t managed to crack even the top half of the league without him.

Yes. The top half of the league.

But Sanders thinks the Lions might finally be on to something with Kerryon Johnson and Bo Scarbrough.

“I think that would be a good combination,” the Hall of Fame running back said on Tuesday while working radio row at the Super Bowl in Miami.

Sanders was especially impressed with Scarbrough last season. The former Alabama star struggled to find his place in the league, bouncing between four teams for a year-and-a-half before Detroit finally gave him a shot while Johnson worked his way back from a knee injury. And Scarbrough was an instant hit, racking up 301 yards in his first four professional games.

That’s more than every Lions running back not named Billy Sims. Yes, more than even Barry Sanders himself, who had 255 yards in his first four games.

Scarbrough finished with 377 yards on just 89 carries, which helped spark a Lions running game that had floundered early in the season. Detroit had three of its four best rushing days with Scarbrough in the starting lineup.

He also does it as a different kind of runner than Johnson, as more of a pounder rather than a slasher. He welcomes contact, breaks tackles and falls forward. And that has many wondering whether a Johnson-Scarbrough backfield could finally lead Detroit’s running game back to competency. That includes the GOAT himself.

“Man, (Scarbrough) is a solid, tough, downhill runner,” Sanders said. “And he doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty. You know you’re going to have to tackle him. He was the same way at Alabama. I don’t know what the story is (on why he was drafted so late), I would have thought he would have been drafted much higher than that, but running game-wise, you’d think he would figure into that. He’s a different runner than Kerryon, so I would think that could be a really nice combination going forward.”

The Lions could still add to that rotation this offseason. They may need another pass-catcher, with J.D. McKissic eligible to hit free agency. They may even invest in another rusher, with Johnson coming off his second major knee injury in as many seasons.

But Sanders likes that mix to complement Detroit’s productive passing attack. He used the 49ers as an example, who were the second-best running team in the league without having any 1,000-yard rushers.

“I don’t know that Matthew (Stafford) needs a 1,000-yard rusher,” Sanders said. “For instance, if you take (Raheem) Mostert and (Matt) Breida, they have 1,000 or so yards between them. Just a good running combination of guys that are dependable when they get in there is what our offense needs.”