It's easy forget that Mikel Leshoure is more than just a name that gets tossed into copy about the Detroit Lions' off-field problems.
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Before his two offseason arrests on marijuana charges -- and the two-game suspension that followed -- Leshoure was best known as a running back attempting to make the difficult comeback from Achilles' tendon surgery.
The focus on Leshoure can now be turned back to football. The 22-year-old running back was limited in minicamp, and it remains to be seen how hard the team pushes Leshoure when training camp kicks off later this month. A healthy Leshoure could be leaned on to provide the inside running game the Lions lacked a season ago.
"Leshoure definitely has that in him," coach Jim Schwartz said, via the Detroit Free Press. "No matter how we do it, running the football, throwing the football, short yardage, first-and-10, we need to have the ability to pick up tough yardage, and I think that's something that Mikel can do for us."
With Kevin Smith also returning, the Lions have a promising 1-2 punch that might also be among the league's most fragile pairings.
