Saturday open thread: What should the Lions do with Ameer Abdullah?

Of all the positions of need on the Detroit Lions roster, none is more polarizing than running back. Ask 10 different fans what their solution would be to Detroit’s running back problem and you’ll get at least nine different answers. Whether it be a free agent, a draft pick or a player the Lions currently have, everyone seems to have a favorite to be Detroit’s starting tailback in 2018, and there’s barely any consensus.

Of course, at the center of this debate is the Lions’ 2017 No. 1 back Ameer Abdullah. Abdullah finished the season a major disappointment, but there has been plenty of debate as to how much blame the Lions’ former second-round pick should take for his subpar year. Was it the offensive line injuries, the poor blocking scheme or is Abdullah just not as talented as we all thought he was?

There’s no clear answer to any of those questions, leaving Detroit in a tricky situation. Today’s Question of the Day is:

What should the Lions do with Ameer Abdullah?

My answer: I pretty much answered this question on Friday with my column about Detroit being a change of scenery for Abdullah in 2018.

Basically, I think there is no reason to get rid of Abdullah this year. He’ll be taking up less than one percent of the salary cap, and his potential upside is worth much more to me than the $1 million in cap savings that would be retained should Detroit part with Abdullah.

But that only really answers part of the question. If we commit to keeping Abdullah around in 2018, what role will he play? In my opinion, I want Detroit to add someone to compete with him for the starting job, but I am not taking Abdullah out of the running to be the starter in 2018. I would love to see what he can do with an improved scheme and a healthy offensive line. I think it’s unlikely that we see Abdullah as the first-string back on Week 1, but I also wouldn’t be completely against it.

Your turn.