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The Detroit Lions placed rookie running back Kerryon Johnson on injured reserve Wednesday, per a report by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Lions placing RB Kerryon Johnson on IR today, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 19, 2018
The rookie suffered a knee sprain during the Lions Week 11 victory over Carolina Panthers. He has not appeared since.
Detroit selected the rookie out of Auburn in the second round of the 2018 draft. The former Tiger started the season as a backup but almost instantly usurped the starting role from LeGarrette Blount after a few impressive performances to start the year.
Johnson rushed for 641 yards and three touchdowns in his first NFL season. He scored his first career NFL touchdown in Week 4 against the Dallas Cowboys and had scored in back to back games before suffering the injury against Carolina.
In Week 3 against the New England Patriots the running back became the first Lions player to eclipse the 100 yard mark in a single game since 2014. He reached the mark a few weeks later against the Miami Dolphins when he ran for 158 yards in a win.
The running back also had some success as a receiver, with 213 yards on 32 receptions. He also scored a receiving touchdown against the Chicago Bears in Week 10.
Detroit has replaced him with a combination of Blount, Theo Riddick and Zach Zenner in recent weeks. The trio is set to continue to carry the Lions running game through the last few weeks of the season.