The final preseason game isn’t for football fans. Typically no starters
play
http://www.lionsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-christian-jones-jersey , dropping the importance level of this game from “who cares?” to “why are you
even watching?” But the game remains somewhat important to the teams themselves.
While the top 40-45 players on the roster have likely already won themselves a
roster spot, the final 8-12 spots may still be up for grabs, and Thursday
night’s game against the Cleveland Browns will be the final chance for head
coach Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn to evaluate the 2018 Detroit
Lions roster.Here are five roster bubble players that have the most on the line
Thursday night:Brandon PowellYes, Brandon Powell has had one of the best
preseasons of any Lions player this year, but he still needs to prove he’s
talented enough to justify keeping a fifth receiver around. He likely doesn’t
have an offensive role with the team in 2018, and though he’s stuck out in the
return game, the Lions already have those roles assumed by Jamal Agnew and
(likely) Ameer Abdullah. But if Powell puts out more good film on Thursday
night, it may be enough for the Lions to believe that Powell won’t make it
through waivers and onto their practice squad. They’ll have to keep Powell on
the 53-man roster simply so they don’t lose him and his potential—even though
he’s very unlikely to contribute in 2018.Joe Dahl/Kenny Wiggins/Leo
Koloamatangi/Wesley JohnsonOkay, I’m well aware this is cheating, but I’m having
a really hard time gauging how the Lions’ reserve offensive linemen situation is
going to shake out. The starting five and fifth-round rookie Tyrell Crosby are
all pretty much roster locks at this point, but there are so many questions
beyond that. Do the Lions keep eight or nine or ten offensive linemen? Who is
the backup center? At what position do any of these players play best?
Unfortunately, the Lions haven’t made much clear in the preseason. With T.J.
Lang out
Devon Kennard Jersey , they’ve been shuffling the starting lineup on a near daily basis, and no one has stuck out as a consistent, reliable option.
Most of these guys provide positional versatility, so there’s no edge there,
either. Every one of these players should be playing on Thursday like their job
is on the line, because it literally is. Michael RobertsYeah, I think the 2017
fourth-round pick is on the bubble. The Hakeem Valles hype is so much more than
hype. He’s been the most consistently impressive tight end since the beginning
of camp, and I would honestly consider him as close to a roster lock as you
could get for someone assumed to be on the outside looking in at the beginning
of camp.That leaves Roberts as someone who could be playing for his Lions career
Thursday night. The former Toledo Rocket hasn’t made much of an impact
throughout August, and after a disappointing rookie year, nothing about his job
security should be safe.While tight end is admittedly a position that takes the
longest to adjust to NFL-level talent, the Lions may not be able to afford
waiting. Their tight end situation is dire, and they need production this year.
As for cutting bail on a draft pick after just one season
Cheap Michael Roberts Jersey , there is some precedent there with Bob Quinn. Former 2016 fifth-round pick, linebacker Antwione Williams, was
surprisingly cut last year, even though Detroit’s linebacking crew was extremely
weak. Cam JohnsonMany, myself included, were surprised to see Cam Johnson out
there during the first half of the Lions’ dress rehearsal game against the
Buccaneers. Working with the first string defense—essentially in Devon Kennard’s
role when he needed a break—Johnson appears to have a leg up on a backup
position.However, that may have all changed when the Lions trade for Eli Harold
last week. While many believe Harold’s addition may push a linebacker like
Freddie Bishop or Trevor Bates off the team, I believe Johnson’s roster spot is
most in danger now. But a good preseason finale could convince the Lions to keep
both Johnson and Harold around.Trevor Bates/Freddie Bishop/Miles KillebrewWhile
I’m not so sure Harold’s addition has an impact on these three fringe
linebackers and their chance to make the roster, there’s little doubt they are
there on the bubble right now. Questions remain on how many linebackers the
Lions will keep on this roster (and how many players they really consider to be
linebackers). But here’s a look at the players that are likely in:DE/LB Devon
KennardDE/LB Eli HaroldLB Jarrad DavisLB Jalen Reeves-MaybinLB Christian JonesLB
Jonathan FreenyThat’s already six. Do the Lions go with seven? Eight? Nine?
Killebrew (theoretically) brings the coverage skills to the group, so I think
his job may be the safest. Bishop and Bates will have to prove their skills as a
pass rusher and on special teams if they want to convince Quinn and Patricia
that keeping at least eight linebackers is a good idea.3 things we learned in
the Detroit Lions’ preseason finale For the fourth straight week I’m opening
this article with a paragraph on how the Lions sputtered through yet another
preseason game. This week’s game ended in a 35-17 loss to the Cleveland Browns
that saw the team get booed off of the field to end a 25-0 first half. The Lions
finish the preseason with a 1-3 record and will be more than happy to put this
month behind them to focus on the games that matter starting next week. Here are
a few things we learned in the Lions preseason finale:Ameer Abdullah is all but
a roster lockThe Lions rested all of their key players Thursday night, and that
included running back Ameer Abdullah. Detroit’s former starting tailback was
held out of the game – a signal from the Lions that they don’t need to see
anything else from him. Abdullah’s two rivals for the final roster spot at
running back did not impress either. Zach Zenner ended up leaving the game with
an early injury after carrying the ball once for -1 yards. Dwayne Washington was
the bell cow for the night. While he played decently and finished the night with
67 yards on 20 carries, his fate was most likely sealed before the opening
kickoff. One of the most interesting storylines of Lions preseason wrapped
itself up before the start of the final game. Abdullah is the fourth running
back on the roster
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We may be at the end of the Jake Rudock eraThere was a lot of excitement
surrounding Jake Rudock when the Lions selected him in sixth round of the 2016
NFL Draft. The Michigan product earned the back up role when he was promoted for
the practice squad in 2016, and then defended his title as the back up
quarterback in 2017 when the Lions added Miami’s Brad Kaaya. It seems that his
competition this year may have been a little too much for him as it appears that
veteran Matt Cassel will walk out of the fourth preseason game with the back up
role all but locked up.Rudock had a rough night overall but did lead an
impressive late game touchdown drive. It will be hard to imagine that the one
drive will be enough to overwrite an entire month’s worth of struggles, though.
Neither Rudock not Cassel really impressed this month, but Cassel has at least
looked more confident and poised running the offense. Rudock looks like he has
regressed from his great 2017 preseason and with quarterback talent more
abundant around the league than ever at the moment, it is unlikely that he wins
a roster spot anywhere outside of Detroit either. Anthony Zettel still had
something to proveWhile all of the key players sat out Thursday night, defensive
end Anthony Zettel was surprisingly on the field. The defensive end was a
projected starter for the Lions entering training camp but hasn’t done anything
to impress this preseason. Zettel played into the second half against the
Browns, showing the Detroit’s coaching staff still want to see a lot more from
him.Unfortunately, he had a poor night. He was getting brutalized in run defense
as he almost always does and not doing enough as a pass rusher to really make up
for it. It would still be incredibly surprising to see Zettel not make the final
53-man roster, but with Kerry Hyder, Devon Kennard and Eli Harold all around to
play an EDGE role for the team it is possible that he has dug himself into a
hole in the depth chart this preseason.
