Camp Spotlight: Tyler Lacy & Lions Sign Ben Stille
One Defensive Lineman Improves his Stock, While Another Joins the Lions
Information sourced from: Detroit Lions Podcast, Pro Football Reference, Jimmy Liao MD on X, Kory Woods of MLive, Detroit Sports Podcast on X
The wheels of training camp continue to turn, and given that Jahmyr Gibbs is now signed to a record setting contract, the collective group of us can breathe a sigh of relief and move forward. That all said, let’s dig in on a couple notable news points that have dropped over the last week.
Tyler Lacy Showing a Higher Level of Play
Tyler Lacy has always been kind of under the radar for me since he has joined the team. Lacy is 26 years old and stands 6’4” and 285lbs. He entered the league in 2023 as a 4th round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars. He played 28 games with the Jags, logging 8 starts, 37 tackles and 2 QB hits. Nothing crazy, but a needed depth part of a team. He joined the Lions in 2025.
Lacy joined the Lions last year and played in 10 games, logging 21 tackles, a sack, and 2 QB hits. Comparable to what he has delivered with the Jags, except adding on a sack as the cherry on top.
This year, barely a day goes by without hearing something about Tyler Lacy. I have to admit I wasn’t noticing him as much, but Jeff Risdon of Detroit Lions Podcast mentioned him in his Daily DLP podcast, and I made a note to keep an eye on him as Risdon often knows what he is talking about. Boy is he right, since then I just keep hearing more and more praise of how Tyler Lacy was. My understanding is that he is not lining up strictly on the edge, but one step inside of that off the shoulder of the tackle, and he is making the most of those reps. In fact (as reported by Detroit Sports Podcast) he put Penei Sewell on his back today in practice, thats not something that happens all that often.
I’m not saying Lacy is the “second coming” of J.J Watt or anything. However, I am saying that when you add Wonnum, Moore, Lacy, Hutch, and Hassanein (also being showered in praise daily) we may not just have one good rusher to pair with Hutch, but multiple. That is a good thing to hear as a Lions fan who has long waited for a good set of players to come alongside Hutch. 2025 was a step with Al-Quadin Muhammed. Perhaps we now take the next step.
Ben Stille join the Lions Amid Wingo Injury
As reported by Jimmy Liao MD, Mekhi Wingo suffered a groin injury in camp yesterday that will set him back a bit. Thus, the Lions likely needed another defensive lineman to take these snaps, enter Ben Stille.
Still adds the Lions to a long rap sheet of teams that he has played for including the Cardinals, the Browns, the Buccaneers, and the Dolphins. With those teams, he appeared (over three years) in just 18 games, notching 17 tackles, 3 QB hits, 2 safeties, and 2 sacks.
After discussions with Silver and Blues contributor Groot the Dutch, I would tend to agree with him that Stille is intended to be a camp body. The QB hits, safeties, and sacks show that he does have something there. The question is what is there, and can he begin to deliver consistently with the Lions? I won’t hold my breath, but I will root for the long shot as I always do.
Camp continues with injuries coming and going, people returning and leaving, and the overall team starting to come together cohesively. Let’s hope this year’s Lions have found a way to stem the tide of injuries, and that this team is perhaps the one that will bring us to the superbowl.