Pride of Detroit
Here are 10 jobs that may be on the line during the Detroit Lions’ preseason opener in the Hall of Fame Game.
The Detroit Lions don’t have many starting jobs up for grabs this training camp. In fact, they may not have any. But as they open up the preseason on Thursday night with the Hall of Fame Game against the Los Angeles Chargers, several depth roles could be on the line.
Here are 10 position battles to keep a close eye on during Thursday’s action.
The competitors: Hendon Hooker, Kyle Allen
Without a doubt, this is among the biggest and most important camp battles to be decided. In training camp, Hooker and Allen have alternated days as the backup quarterback, and both have looked able to handle the offense. It’ll be different Thursday when the red jersey comes off and the bullets are flying, but it’ll be fascinating to see how much Hooker has grown from Year 2 to Year 3 and how that compares to a veteran like Allen.
The competitors: Dominic Lovett, Jackson Meeks, Jakobie Keeney-James, Tom Kennedy, Ronnie Bell
Detroit’s top five receivers are almost certainly set, leaving a really strong competition for what is likely only to be one roster spot. The trio of rookies (Lovett, Meeks, and Keeney-James) have all splashed in the first week of training camp. Meanwhile, Tom Kennedy is always a reliable option on offense, but limited on special teams. Ronnie Bell has yet to stand out in camp, but with his NFL experience, he could turn it up when the lights come on.
The competitors: Dan Skipper, Giovanni Manu, Jamarco Jones, Mason Miller
Tuesday’s scrimmage, in which Aidan Hutchinson just dominated, was a stark reminder that if either of Detroit’s starting tackles goes down, it could be bad news.
While Skipper came into camp as the heavy favorite for this job, I think it’s fair to wonder if Detroit would consider upgrading that position. Skipper will be 31 in just over a month, and while he’s been a great jumbo package addition, he has struggled in spot starts.
Giovanni Manu is one of the more exciting prospects to follow, given his ridiculous measurables and limited experience. Meanwhile, Jamarco Jones quietly has six years of experience and could be an underdog for the spot.
The competitors: Kingsley Eguakun, Michael Niese, Trystan Colon
With Graham Glasgow closing in on the starting job and rookie Tate Ratledge back at guard, the Lions suddenly have a pretty big need for a backup center. At camp, they have rotated Eguakun, Niese, and Colon daily as the backup center, in that order. There has been no noticeable separation between the three, so Thursday night will be a huge piece of the puzzle.
The competitors: Netane Muti, Kayode Awosika, Colby Sorsdal
It appears Ratledge and Christian Mahogany have the starting jobs locked up, but with Miles Frazier potentially starting the...
