ALLEN PARK — The preseason doesn’t matter, which is refreshing news for the winless Detroit Lions.
“There’s some guys that maybe were counted out that have a chance of now making this team — and then there’s some ones that maybe everybody thought was going to make it and they’re not going to make it,” head coach Dan Campbell said after the loss in Pittsburgh on Saturday night.
Dan Campbell has talked about the importance of playing well in the preseason, and while Blough certainly hasn’t been perfect, he’s played much better in the exhibitions than Boyle.
That said, with COVID still a threat to game-day availabilities, it seems smart to keep an extra quarterback around who knows the system.
Jefferson is a lock too, and has had some bright moments in the RB3 role, including making another nice cut for a 10-yard gain on his first touch in Pittsburgh.
Yet is the little-known Tom Kennedy, a former pro lacrosse player who is neither big nor fast, who is making the best case for a sixth roster spot if the Lions choose to go that direction.
Breakdown: There’s a lot to like about Hockenson and Fells at the top of the rotation, although Fells had a night to forget in Pittsburgh, racking up three flags on just 15 defensive snaps.
Crosby is a super-sub who can play inside as well as out, and would probably be the first man in if a guard or tackle went down.
Breakdown: This might be a case of having too many cooks in the kitchen at defensive tackle, especially considering all the three-man fronts Detroit intends to deploy, but Brockers, McNeill and Onwuzurike aren’t going anywhere, while Williams and Hand were both repping with the first team before suffering injuries.
He allowed both balls thrown his way to be caught and missed two tackles, one of which turned a short gain into a 46-yard chunk play.
In: CB Jeff Okudah, CB Amani Oruwariye, CB Mike Ford, CB Ifeatu Melifonwu, CB Nickell Robey-Coleman, CB A.J.
Breakdown: Kennedy’s spot as the sixth receiver has to come from somewhere, and I just haven’t liked what I’ve seen from the Price experiment on defense.
Fox, meanwhile, just cranked one of the greatest punts I’ve ever seen, a 70-yarder into the night sky in Pittsburgh that trickled out of bounds inside the 5-yard line.
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