Detroit Lions go through a drill with Wide Receivers Coach Antwaan Randle El
The Detroit Lions go through a drill led by wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El during practice at Allen Park on Sunday, August 11, 2024.
The Detroit Lions plan to rest most of their starting linemen for Saturday’s second preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs, but Lions coach Dan Campbell said there’s a chance a few defensive linemen who didn’t play in last week’s opener could be on the field.
With the season opener in three weeks, Saturday’s game and next week’s final preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers could play a major role in deciding several spots on the back roster.
Here are five players I’ll be watching Saturday who are competing for jobs or have a chance to solidify their roles for the fall.
WR Kaden Davis
Campbell has made it clear that the Lions need to get more out of the wide receiver position. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Kalif Raymond are comfortably at the top of the pecking order, and there’s a chance the Lions could add to the position before the regular season begins. Donovan Peoples-Jones has so much work to show that he’s probably the favorite to go No. 4, but of the pass catchers in camp, Davis has done as much as anyone to stand out.
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Davis, a former receiver for the Michigan Panthers, has good size at 6’1″ and reliable hands. If he can perform in the game, it would give him a big advantage and earn him a spot on the roster. Davis caught a pass for 5 yards in the opening game and was tied for the team lead with four targets. He should get plenty of opportunities to do that again Saturday.
RB Zonovan Ritter
I don’t know what Knight’s chances are of earning a roster spot, or how they might have improved with Jahmyr Gibbs’ recent hamstring injury. But I do know that Knight had a productive stint with the New York Jets as a rookie and was slated for an extended practice squad stint last fall when he got injured.
Now healthy again, Knight had six carries for 12 yards in the third quarter of last week’s preseason loss to the New York Giants. Gibbs won’t play Saturday, David Montgomery isn’t expected to play either, and while fourth-round pick Sione Vaki has a spot on the roster, a strong finish to the preseason could see Knight challenge Craig Reynolds for the No. 4 job – or at least show the rest of the league he’s got plenty of life left in his legs.
OLB Mitchell Agude
Agude was a player I noticed in the spring with his running ability, but he’s gone unnoticed this summer considering who’s in front of him. Marcus Davenport is healthy again, Derrick Barnes is playing a lot at strong-side linebacker, and Isaac Ukwu had a sack in the first half against the Giants.
Agude had a team-high four tackles in the second half last week, and Aaron Glenn said Wednesday he wants to see more from the big, long pass rusher. “We want to take advantage of his ability to come off the side and use his long arm,” Glenn said. “That’s one of his best moves, and then he’s got some counters as well, so I’m excited to see him play a lot this preseason to see exactly what he has to offer.”
CB Steven Gilmore
Gilmore earned a spot on the roster with his strong preseason play last year, and the Lions valued him so highly that they kept him on the roster as a healthy, inactive player for most of the year. Gilmore has slipped down the rankings this summer with all the new additions to the secondary, but over the next seven days he has a chance to remind everyone why the team thought so highly of him last summer.
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Carlton Davis III, Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. are all dealing with injuries, so Gilmore will have to play behind Amik Robertson, Kindle Vildor and Khalil Dorsey in the cornerback rotation. Gilmore can improve his chances of making the roster with strong play on special teams, but cornerbacks often get physically beaten in the NFL, so if he plays well on defense, he should earn a job somewhere this season.
QB Hendon Hooker
Hooker is in a slightly different position than the others on this list, as he’s likely guaranteed a job as Jared Goff’s backup. He gave the Lions’ flagging offense a boost in the second half of last week’s loss to the Giants, but then left the game with a brain injury.
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Hooker hasn’t played enough to really trust that he can keep the team afloat if Goff gets hurt, so the Lions plan to give him another extensive test on Saturday. He passed concussion protocol and is expected to play against the Chiefs. Every rep he gets is important for his development.
Contact Dave Birkett at [email protected]Follow him on X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
