In his rookie preseason, Zach Zenner took the world by storm. A feel good story about a guy who had three 2,000-yard seasons deferring medical school to follow his NFL dreams, what’s not to love? To make things even better, he led the league in rushing in the preseason. He was an instant hit with the Lions fanbase. After an injury ended his rookie year early, he never really had the chance to make an impact for this team in the two seasons following, and when those opportunities did arise, he didn’t take advantage. Zenner has proven to be a very up-and-down player throughout his three seasons in Detroit, rushing 130 times for 454 yards over the course of 29 games, averaging a measly 3.49 yards a carry. Most of that production came in the 2016 season though; in 2017 he rushed for under two yards per carry. He ended up getting benched for 8 games this past season, falling behind Dwayne Washington and undrafted rookie Tion Green on the depth chart. On the league’s worst rushing offense, he was the low man on the totem pole. Entering this offseason as a restricted free agent, the Lions have a choice to make. Looking at these stats, the choice may have already been made. But could a position change help his future in Detroit?

The Detroit Lions stopped utilizing the fullback position after the 2016 season when they waived 2015 5th round pick Michael Burton, a move that surprised many. This transaction didn’t make much sense; why would a team that is struggling to run the ball cut a top 10 fullback? The team tried to remedy their need for a lead blocker by using two different defensive players in that spot throughout the 2017 season. Alex Barrett and Nick Bellore both took snaps in the backfield. Bellore had some success there, but it’s time to put that experiment to an end. If the Lions are to improve their last-place rushing attack, they need to bring back the fullback position. The player they should use is Zach Zenner.

Before looking at Zenner’s fit at fullback, let’s look at how fullbacks are used around the league. There are currently only 31 fullbacks on NFL rosters across 24 teams. That leaves 8 teams that do not utilize the position: Detroit, Philadelphia, Washington, New York Giants, Arizona, Tennessee, Cincinnati, Miami, and Kansas City. This means that the five worst rushing offenses in the league all don’t carry a fullback. Yes, the fullback position may not be a fit for every offensive scheme, but there seems to be a correlation between success in running the ball and employing a fullback.

Now what does Zenner have to do with any of this? For starters, he has not met expectations as a running back on a team where the bar for rushers is already as low as it can be. But after reviewing some film from this season, it became apparent that the Lions have already been giving Zenner some of the duties that a fullback would have. In 2017, Zenner only had 14 carries, along with one target in the passing game, in 65 snaps. While his snap count was limited, he was used several times as a blocker in the passing game, and performed well at it. He has shown that he is capable of protecting his quarterback, having several times been able to pick up a blitz and keep the pressure off of Stafford. Unfortunately, there were two plays where Zenner was beat by his man which led to forced fumbles on Stafford.

Zach Zenner making a switch to fullback would be beneficial to this struggling offense. As seen in some of the highlights added in this article, Zenner has been in on blocks for some big plays by Stafford. He knows the system, he can block, he can run, and this transition opens up a spot for a new running back to come in and improve the unit. He would also remain as extra depth at the running back spot if needed and is a key player on special teams, which are two things that Bob Quinn loves with guys on the bottom of the roster.

As a restricted free agent this offseason, he’d be a cheap option to bring back for one more season if the team decides to do so. If not, there are few options available in both free agency and the draft. Zach Line, Anthony Sherman, Mike Tolbert, and John Kuhn are all free agents this coming offseason, but for the price of a few of those guys, it doesn’t seem likely that Detroit will reach out. In the draft, top guys include Dimitri Flowers, Khalid Hill, Jaylen Samuels, and Nick Bawden. All four of these guys are projected to be day 3 prospects, where the Lions currently hold no picks after the 5th round. The best and cheapest option for the team would to move Zenner to fullback permanently and refine his blocking skills.

Aside from his size, he measures out with elite athleticism as a fullback. If he were to bulk up and put 100% of his focus into a position change, he’d have a shot in Detroit as a fullback. If not, he’s out of a job. On the bright side, not many people can say that they have medical school as a backup plan.

So Bob Quinn, if you’re somehow reading this, give Zach a shot at fullback. As a proud owner of a Zenner jersey, I’d like to be able to wear it for a few more years.