Reynolds has been joined on the depth chart by rookie first-rounder Jahmyr Gibbs following the 2023 NFL Draft, Scott Thompson of Fox News reports.
Reynolds ended last season stuck behind D'Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams on the depth chart, but he now finds himself behind even bigger investments at running back in Gibbs and David Montgomery. While Reynolds at least has the inside track to the No. 3 role now that Justin Jackson is looking for a new opportunity, such a role only has fantasy value as a modest insurance policy in deep leagues.
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Lions' Craig Reynolds: Signs new deal with Detroit
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Reynolds and the Lions agreed to a contract Monday.
The exact details of the deal are unknown, but Reynolds will be returning to Detroit for a third season in 2023. The running back appeared in nine games with the Lions last season, recording 102 rushing yards on 23 carries while also reeling in nine catches for 116 yards. With D'Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams both likely to still be on the team next season, there isn't a clear path for Reynolds to see an increase in usage.
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Lions' Craig Reynolds: Totals 218 yards in 2022
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Reynolds rushed 23 times for 102 yards while catching nine of 10 targets for 116 yards over nine games in 2022.
Reynolds opened the year as the No. 3 running back behind D'Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams, but he couldn't stay healthy and eventually fell behind Justin Jackson on the depth chart as well. While Reynolds is now set to hit free agency at the end of the league year, it's possible he could return to a more prominent role for the Lions in 2023 considering both Williams and Jackson are also on expiring contracts.
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Lions' Craig Reynolds: Listed as inactive
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Reynolds (coach's decision) will be inactive for Saturday's game against the Panthers.
With D'Andre Swift, Jamaal Williams and Justin Jackson ahead of him on the depth chart and healthy, Reynolds will be the odd-man-out Saturday. The 26-year-old has suited up for six games this season, but has not suited up since Week 8.
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Lions' Craig Reynolds: Activated off injured reserve
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Reynolds (ribs) was activated off injured reserve Saturday, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com reports.
Reynolds traveled with the team to New York for Sunday's matchup against the Jets and will presumably be active following a five-game absence due to a knee injury. He opened the season as the No. 3 running back behind Jamaal Williams and D'Andre Swift, but Justin Jackson has thrived in that role of late. It's unclear what Reynolds' role will be in Week 15 if he's deemed available, but he's unlikely to garner a large enough role to crack fantasy relevancy.
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Lions' Craig Reynolds: Returns to practice
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Reynolds (ribs) was designated to return from injured reserve Thursday, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Reynolds suffered the injury in Week 9's win over the Packers and was placed on IR on Nov. 9. He now has a 21-day window to either be added back to the active roster or revert to IR for the remainder of the season. Before suffering the injury, Reynolds operated as the team's No. 3 running back, a role that Justin Jackson has since occupied.
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Lions' Craig Reynolds: Heads to IR
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Detroit placed Reynolds (ribs) on injured reserve Wednesday.
Reynolds was forced out of Sunday's win over Green Bay due to the rib injury and will now be required to miss at least the Lions' next four games with his move to IR. His absence should open up even more opportunities for Justin Jackson as the Lions' No. 3 back behind D'Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams.
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Lions' Craig Reynolds: Downgraded to out
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Reynolds (ribs) was ruled out for the remainder of Sunday's game against the Packers.
Reynolds will not be able to return after being forced out with a rib injury in the first half against Green Bay. The 26-year-old played a minor role in Detroit's offense over the first seven games, and his next chance to suit up will come versus the Bears on Sunday, Nov. 13.
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Lions' Craig Reynolds: Totals 92 yards
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Reynolds rushed six times for 24 yards while catching three of three targets for 68 yards during Sunday's 29-0 loss to New England.
Reynolds was more efficient on the ground than the box score implies, considering he was dropped for a seven-yard loss at one point, and he ultimately performed well as a change-of-pace option behind Jamaal Williams in the absence of D'Andre Swift (shoulder). However, the Lions didn't spend much time in Patriots territory, leaving no realistic scoring opportunities for anyone in the Detroit backfield. With Swift expected to return to the field after a Week 6 bye, Reynolds should revert to his No. 3 role in Week 7 against Dallas.
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Lions' Craig Reynolds: Week 4 Waiver Priority List
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With D'Andre Swift now expected to miss at least the next two games, Reynolds moves up to No. 2 on the depth chart in Detroit behind Jamaal Williams. Reynolds could have some flex appeal in deeper leagues since the Lions have used Swift and Williams in tandem all season, and Reynolds just had six carries for 13 yards, along with one catch for 5 yards on one target, in Week 3 at Minnesota when Swift was injured. Reynolds is now a Williams injury away from being a potential flex option or better in all leagues. He's worth 1 percent of your remaining FAB.
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Lions' Craig Reynolds: Seven touches while spelling Swift
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Reynolds rushed six times for 13 yards while securing his only target for five yards during Sunday's 28-24 loss to Minnesota.
Reynolds saw increased offensive snaps and touches for a second consecutive week as D'Andre Swift now tends to a shoulder injury in addition to his ankle woes. With Swift possibly set to miss multiple games, Reynolds could see even more involvement in Week 4 against the Seahawks as the potential No. 2 running back behind Jamaal Williams.
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Lions' Craig Reynolds: Four touches against former team
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Reynolds rushed three times for 16 yards while securing his only target for 13 yards during Sunday's 36-27 win over Washington.
After being contained to special teams in the season opener, Reynolds saw some modest run, possibly because of D'Andre Swift's reported ankle sprain. He was efficient in doing so, but he didn't see nearly enough playing time behind Swift and Jamaal Williams to have a chance at fantasy relevance.
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Lions' Craig Reynolds: Plays into fourth quarter
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Reynolds rushed six times for 31 yards while catching two of three targets for 13 yards during Sunday's 19-9 loss to the Steelers.
Considering Reynolds was the presumptive favorite for the No. 3 role at running back for most of the preseason, it was surprising to see him playing into the fourth quarter on both offense and special teams Sunday. Meanwhile, Justin Jackson totaled 83 yards on 10 touches and may be a making a claim for his job. While it's possible that both players make the roster, there's no certainty that Detroit will keep five running backs on the roster given that Godwin Igwebuike seems likely to stick around for special-teams purposes.
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Lions' Craig Reynolds: Leading battle for No. 3 RB role
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Reynolds rushed seven times for 37 yards and caught his only target for five yards in Saturday's 27-26 preseason win over the Colts.
Each of Reynolds, Justin Jackson, Godwin Igwebuike and Jermar Jefferson got seven carries in this game, as Detroit got an extended look at each of the four running backs competing for the third spot on the depth chart behind D'Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams. Reynolds is leading that competition, according to Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site, but Jackson could be closing the gap after churning out 54 yards on his seven attempts Saturday. Both Reynolds and Jackson will likely get significant playing time in the Lions' preseason finale, Aug. 28 in Pittsburgh.
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Lions' Craig Reynolds: Three carries in season finale
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Reynolds rushed three times for two yards during Sunday's 37-30 win over Green Bay.
Reynolds was in the starting lineup with fellow tailback D'Andre Swift but both ended up finishing well behind Jamaal Williams in carries. Making matters worse for Reynolds is that he only went on to log five more offensive snaps en route to a poor stat line. He'll thus finish the season with 55 carries for 230 rushing yards while catching seven of eight targets for 52 receiving yards despite not joining the active roster until Week 14. While he should remain in a complementary role next season considering he, Swift and Williams all remain under contract in 2022, Reynolds' 26-carry, 112-yard performance Week 15 at least showed that he can be a worthwhile fantasy option if the Lions ever need him to lead the backfield.
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Lions' Craig Reynolds: Quiet in No. 3 role
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Reynolds rushed four times for four yards during Sunday's 51-29 loss to Seattle.
Reynolds got a handful of touches throughout the game, but the return of D'Andre Swift predictably pushed Reynolds into a tertiary role. With no injuries to report for either of Swift or Jamaal Williams, Reynolds presumably will remain that way Week 18 against Green Bay.
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Lions' Craig Reynolds: Gets 14 touches in loss
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Reynolds rushed 11 times for 29 yards while catching three of four targets for 22 yards during Sunday's 20-16 loss to Atlanta.
Despite moving into a secondary role with Jamaal Williams back in action, Reynolds still saw a decent workload while easily topping the zero targets Williams saw in the passing game. However, not including a game-high 14 yard scamper by Williams, Detroit running backs collectively averaged 3.7 scoreless yards per carry as the offense initially struggled to do much with backup Tim Boyle under center. While the return of Jared Goff (COVID-19) could help open up the run game, Reynolds' Week 17 workload against Seattle will depend on the health of D'Andre Swift (shoulder), who returned to practice this past week and seems to be trending in the right direction.
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Lions' Craig Reynolds: Rewarded with roster spot
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The Lions signed Reynolds to the 53-man roster Monday, Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus reports.
Perhaps more importantly, the transaction inks Reynolds with Detroit through 2022, a much-deserved development after the Kutztown product amassed 216 total yards in his last two appearances. D'Andre Swift (shoulder) and/or Jamaal Williams (illness) could be back in action for Week 16 against a Falcons defense that's proven susceptible to the run, but Reynolds appears to have played his way into the No. 3 backfield role at the very least.
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Lions' Craig Reynolds: Jumps to active roster
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The Lions elevated Reynolds from the practice squad Saturday.
Meanwhile, Jamaal Williams (illness) wasn't among the Lions activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list, meaning he'll be sidelined for a second consecutive contest Sunday against the Cardinals. With D'Andre Swift (shoulder) also ruled out, Reynolds could be in line for a similar workload to the one he handled last Sunday in Denver, when he turned a 45 percent share of snaps into 13 touches for 99 yards from scrimmage. As for the rest of the Detroit backfield, Godwin Igwebuike notched eight carries on a 45 percent share, while Jermar Jefferson didn't receive a touch on five percent of those plays.
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Lions' Craig Reynolds: Splitting first-team reps
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Reynolds and Jermar Jefferson took the bulk of the first-team reps at running back during Thursday's practice, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.
Reynolds could be looking at another heightened workload this weekend with both of D'Andre Swift (shoulder) and Jamaal Williams (COVID-19) looking unlikely to play. However, with Jefferson further removed from having the flu as well as a thigh injury, his upside could be capped by a committee approach. There's also the risk that there aren't many carries to be split up in the first place if Detroit's weak offense struggles to extend drives against Arizona's fourth-ranked scoring defense this Sunday.
