Wednesday open thread: How much of an impact will Joique Bell make?

Tuesday was a busy day for the Detroit Lions. Unfortunately, the team ended the season of three players by placing Armonty Bryant and Quandre Diggs on the reserve injured list while moving Brandon Pettigrew from the PUP list to the reserve/non-football injury list.

With the two open spots on the roster, the Lions added cornerback Asa Jackson and running back Joique Bell. Jackson isn’t likely to make an impact immediately, but the addition of Bell is interesting. So today’s Question of the Day is:

How much of an impact do you think Joique Bell will make with the Lions?

My answer: not too much. As much as I love Joique—and I love me some Joique Bell—I think he is basically an insurance policy for the Lions. Right now, it appears the Lions only have two healthy running backs on the roster after Dwayne Washington left Sunday’s game with an ankle injury. However, according to Dave Birkett, the injury may not be that serious:

So it’s entirely possible that Bell may only be around until Washington is back on his feet.

That being said, I do think Bell could provide some solid play down the stretch. Last year, he was much better in the final month of the season, and he can provide veteran knowledge that a guy like Zach Zenner can’t. Bell is also a decent pass blocker, whereas both Zenner and Washington struggle in that aspect of the game.

Bell probably won’t have much of an impact with the team this year, and he may not even be active if Washington can heal, but he’s a great insurance policy for the team, and could even contribute on a small scale if the injury bug is here to stay.

Your turn.