Mailbag: Could Amon-Ra St. Brown be used more like Deebo Samuel this year?

Toward the end of last year, it seems the Detroit Lions realized the full potential of rookie wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. Not only was St. Brown wildly productive in that final stretch of games—which led him to winning Rookie of the Month in December—but Detroit found creative ways to use him. He was lined up all over the field, used as a decoy, was integral in some trick plays, and also just played the slot receiver role like a veteran.

One interesting way the Lions used St. Brown was in the backfield. Though he only carried the ball seven times all season, he was very effective doing so, rushing for 61 yards and a touchdown on those attempts.

That has some people wondering if St. Brown could carry the ball more in 2022. After all, most of the creative uses of him last year came after then tight ends coach Ben Johnson took a bigger role with the offense. Now Johnson is the offensive coordinator.

All the way over on the west coast, one of the most dangerous weapons in football, Deebo Samuel, is coming off a season in which he was used at an unprecedented level in the backfield. Samuel was lined up behind the quarterback 116 times last season (about 12 percent of the time) and rushed the ball 59 times. Is it possible the Lions have similar plans in place for St. Brown this year?

That is one of the many questions we answered during this week’s Spotify Live session, in which we take live calls from fans on the app every Saturday morning (more info on how to join here).

Other topics this week include:

• Who will be the bottom five teams in the NFL this season?
• Predicting where the Lions will pick in the 2023 NFL Draft
• Does Brad Holmes account for positional value more than previous Lions' GMs?
• How will the Lions decide on an offensive play-caller this year—and does it really matter?
• How many wins could the Lions produce without Jared Goff?

You can listen to all of our answers below.

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