Dave Birkett

Detroit Free Press

The Detroit Lions had the worst rushing offense in the NFL last year, and their leading rusher, Ameer Abdullah, had fewer yards than the top running back on all but two other teams (the Tennessee Titans and San Francisco 49ers).

While the Lions have talked extensively about having a more efficient running game this season, new running backs coach David Walker said that doesn’t mean that the team will have its first 1,000-yard rusher since Reggie Bush in 2013.

“I don’t know if we need one,” Walker said after practice Sunday. “I know this: Whether we end up having a guy that rushes for 1,000, that’s really not our goal. Our goal is to be efficient when we run the ball and, if we can be a group that’s over 4.2 per carry, then whether we carry it 300 times or we carry it 500 times, then that will be what we’re looking for from a production standpoint.”

Abdullah opens training camp as the Lions’ No. 1 running back after last year’s 597-yard campaign, but his recovery from January shoulder surgery has given the team time to look at other options in the backfield.

Theo Riddick went first in the running back rotation during most organized team activities and June minicamp. When he missed practice Sunday, Stevan Ridley got a heavy dose of action.

Ridley and Zach Zenner are competing for the No. 3 running back job behind Abdullah and Riddick, while rookie seventh-round pick Dwayne Washington and George Winn (Southfield) remain on the periphery for now.

Abdullah, who averaged that desired 4.2 yards per carry as a rookie, is practicing, albeit with a no-contact red jersey on his back.

“You hope that we can develop our bigger backs into guys that can be really productive,” Walker said. “We know that Theo ... what he’s been able to do and been productive. Ameer was productive. You’ve got some slight guys that have shown production. We’ve got to get our bigger guys this fall to be very productive contributors, also, and then that will give us a real nice mix of things.”

Zenner showed some promise in limited action as a rookie last year, carrying 17 times for 60 yards before broken ribs and a collapsed lung ended his season.

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Still, the Lions signed Ridley for backfield depth this spring and are hoping for a rebound season from the veteran.

Ridley tore two ligaments in his knee while with the New England Patriots in 2014 and spent half of last year on the physically unable to perform list with the New York Jets. He had just 36 carries for 90 yards.

“I think, obviously, we have a pretty interesting group of guys, because they all have a little different sort of repertoire, in terms of the ability to run with power, with speed, with quickness. (Ridley’s) one of those guys that does a little bit of everything,” Lions coach Jim Caldwell said. “He can step in there and pass protect. He also runs the ball well. He’s got good feet and he can catch the ball out of the backfield.

“He’s one of those guys that, if he can stay healthy, I think he’ll be fine.”

While Ridley and/or Zenner should fill the big-back role on offense, Walker insists that the Lions are heading into their first exhibition against the Pittsburgh Steelers next week with no preconceived notion about which running back fills which role.

Riddick primarily has been used as a receiver throughout his career, with just 72 carries in three seasons. But the Lions insist that he’ll factor more heavily in the run game this fall.

Abdullah said he wants to be a back the Lions can count on in short-yardage situations and obvious passing downs. If that happens, he has a better chance to join Bush as the only 1,000-yard Lions running backs since Kevin Jones in 2004.

Walker said he’ll be happy if the Lions hit the 4.2-yard-per-carry mark -- something just 15 NFL teams accomplished last season and a number the Lions haven’t reached since their playoff run in 2011.

“That’s what we’re trying to do,” Walker said. “We have to be a team that can stay ahead of the sticks. The only way you can stay ahead of the sticks is if you’re getting 4 to 4.5 yards with your carries. And if you can do that, then you got a chance to be a solid offense.”

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Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett

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