Zach Zenner just has a way of coming back to the Lions.

The backup running back has signed his fourth contract with the team, this one a one-year deal to break his free agency.

The 27-year-old native of Eagan, Minn., was reportedly in the mix to sign with the hometown Vikings, but he’s coming back to Detroit instead. This is where he had his most productive stretch late last season, when he returned from a back injury with noticeably more mass and ran for 265 yards and three touchdowns on 4.8 yards per carry in relief of an injured Kerryon Johnson.

Those numbers improved upon what he’d been at a smaller size in Detroit’s backfield. He averaged 3.5 yards per carry in spot duty from 2015-2017. He originally signed with the team as an undrafted free agent out of South Dakota State, and he’s also been a key special teamer in his 36 games with the team.

The Lions could still be in the market to sign another running back with LeGarrette Blount heading out of town after a disappointing one-year stint. Johnson is the clear top guy after he finished second in the NFL with 5.4 yards per carry as a rookie, but he ended a second straight year injured. That added a greater need for depth for a Lions team that wants to run the ball quite a bit under new offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell.

But after spending high on defensive end Trey Flowers and cornerback Justin Coleman as well as adding tight end Jesse James and wide receiver Danny Amendola, the Lions could look to this position in the draft. Zenner and third-down back Theo Riddick are both on one-year deals at this point.

Zenner could also be a guy the Lions see as a possible No. 2 to Johnson, given his success in a small sample size last year. He doesn’t have the burst to challenge for big plays like Johnson can, but he has brought a steadiness to the ground game in his time with the team.