Report: Lions Waive Former Second-Round Draft Pick Mikel Leshoure
By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak
CBS DETROIT - The Detroit Lions have parted ways with their 2011 second-round draft pick Mikel Leshoure, according to the Detroit Free Press. Leshoure rushed for 798 yards for the Lions in 2012 but played in only three games last season.
The majority of the carries in 2013 instead went to Reggie Bush and Joique Bell, a duo who emerged as one of the best running back tandems in the NFL. Bush totaled 1,006 rushing yards, Bell added 650 and both contributed in the passing game as well.
Leshoure missed his entire rookie season with an Achilles injury, but in 2012 he played in 14 games for the Lions and scored nine touchdowns to go with his 798 yards on 215 attempts.
Bush came to Detroit as a big-name free agent in 2013, and Bell signed a contract extension with the Lions this offseason, so their spots on the team have never been in question, but Leshoure had an opportunity to stick around by beating out Theo Riddick, Detroit's sixth-round draft pick in 2013, or George Winn, who went undrafted last year and played on the practice squads of the Oakland Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys.
Riddick and Winn seemed to stand out more over the course of this offseason than Leshoure, however. Coaches and teammates often spoke highly of Riddick, touting him as a player poised for a breakout season, and Winn - a native of Southfield - has made an impression as well, though two fumbles in preseason games have cast some doubt on his future.
Leshoure expressed frustration last season about not being able to contribute more for the Lions, and now that Detroit has waived him, the expectation is that he will catch on with another team.
NFL teams have until 4 p.m. Saturday to trim their rosters from to 53.