The Facts: It seems HC Jim Caldwell is putting his money on Abdullah to be a player who makes a step forward this season. "If there's anybody who is going to improve," Caldwell said this week at the NFL owners meetings, "he's going to improve."
Diehards Line:
Abdullah, selected in the second round of last year's draft, had an uneven debut with Detroit. He began the season with a tremendous debut, cutting up San Diego for an explosive 24-yard touchdown run on his first career carry -- leaving All-Pro Eric Weddle in the dust for good measure. He finished with 50 yards rushing in that game, the best debut by a Lions draft pick since Barry Sanders. Abdullah faded for a couple months after that, though. Working behind a dreadful offensive line, he averaged just 23.8 yards over the next eight games and never had more than 48. He also was effectively benched for a couple weeks because of fumble issues. Overall, as MLive.com's Kyle Meinke understated, there was a lot to dislike about the Lions' rushing attack last year, which ranked last in the league, but Abdullah's upward trajectory offers hope that Detroit can get untracked in 2016. And he's expected to be leaned on to do just that, with veteran Joique Bell, the other primary ball-carrier, getting cut this offseason. Abdullah will be joined in the rotation by Theo Riddick, who is mostly a pass-catcher, and Zach Zenner, who looked good early last year but is relatively unproven after losing the bulk of his rookie season to injury.