ALLEN PARK, Mich. – The NFL trade deadline passed Tuesday at 4 p.m., and seldom-used running back Mikel Leshoure remains a Detroit Lion.
There had been rumors that the Lions could try to deal Leshoure to acquire a cornerback or receiver.
But it was a quiet day throughout the league. Like most teams, the Lions did nothing.
A year ago, Leshoure was the club’s starting running back. He finished the season with 215 carries for 798 yards and nine touchdowns, along with 34 receptions for 214 yards.
This season, he has only two carries for nine yards and no receptions at the midway point of the season.
"You always want to contribute," Leshoure said while standing at his locker, about an hour before the trade deadline. "So, yeah, it’s frustrating not to be out there."
As for the diminished role, Leshoure added: "It’s my role. This is what it’s been all year. This is what I’m used to now."
The Lions had high hopes for Leshoure after selecting him in the second round in 2011, but he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon during training camp and missed his entire rookie year.
He really hasn’t been the same since that injury.
Leshoure has been inactive for five of the Lions’ first eight games. He also didn’t play in one of the games that he was active. In the other two, he played a total of two snaps on offense and 26 on special teams.
His role has been reduced because of the addition of Reggie Bush as the feature back and the emergence of Joique Bell as a quality reserve.
Even rookie Theo Riddick, a sixth-round draft pick, has gotten considerably more playing time than Leshoure.
Leshoure said he wasn’t affected by all the recent talk of a possible trade.
"It is what it is," he said. "Just thinking about this bye week and seeing my family.
"It ain’t been a stressful week. I ain’t been thinking about trade deadline, none of that stuff."
Asked how difficult that’s been to block out the rumors, Leshoure answered: "It’s easy to. This is the first time – ya’ll coming up to me – I’ve even thought about this in two weeks."
In the end, the Lions apparently decided it was best to keep another experienced running back on the roster, just in case of an injury, especially if they couldn’t get what they would have wanted in return.
As for whether he would have welcomed a trade, Leshoure said, "I’m not really talking about that. I don’t really have anything to say about it."
Just before leaving the locker room, he was asked if he was counting down the minutes to the deadline.
"No comment, brother," Leshoure said.
He doesn’t have to count anymore.
EXTRA POINT
The wife of Lions receiver Ryan Broyles confirmed on Twitter that he had undergone successful surgery for a ruptured Achilles tendon.
"Everything went great!" Mary Beth Broyles tweeted Tuesday afternoon.
