ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Mikel Leshoure has no carries this season. Usually, he’s inactive. Even when he is, he isn’t playing.

So on Sunday, when he was active for the first time and one of two players who didn’t play for Detroit in its 27-20 win over Washington, life can be a little frustrating.

“That’s frustrating,” Leshoure said. “You want to play, obviously. You want to be out there, especially knowing you can help. It’s frustrating.

“I don’t really know what the issue is why I wouldn’t be out there and why I didn’t play, but I didn’t. That’s pretty much it.”

Leshoure, who Detroit drafted in the second round in 2011, gained 798 yards in 14 games last season as the Lions starting running back. Less than a year later, he doesn’t appear to be part of any of Detroit’s plans.

He is right now behind starting running back Reggie Bush, Joique Bell and rookie Theo Riddick.

Leshoure said he hasn’t talked much with Detroit general manager Martin Mayhew about his situation and it isn’t in Leshoure’s nature to bug his coaches about it.

He said he has spoken with Mayhew since the season started and that he was told the team doesn’t plan on trading him.

“He pretty much said that he wants me here, he doesn’t have any intentions on trading me,” Leshoure said. “It’s a long season and he just wants me to be here just in case. You never know what happens.

“It’s a long season. Guys get banged up. Somebody can go down and more so a security blanket.”

One thing Leshoure is sure of is himself. He believes he is better than his current role, even if he has no control over that role or when it could change.

“I know what my abilities are,” Leshoure said. “I know what I’m capable of. My confidence hasn’t changed at all.

“But it’s frustrating because you know you could be out there to help the team. I feel like I’m better than a reserve player and I have more to give than that.”

Where he could do that is the question. He said he hasn’t reached out to anyone about a possible trade. When asked whether or not he’d be open to it, he had a succinct statement.

“I just want to play,” Leshoure said. “That’s all. I want to play. Like I said before, there’s a lot of speculation because of the fact I’m not on the field, people just wondering what’s going on.

“But I want to play. That’s it.”