Preseason Marches On
The preseason marches on, and the Lions edged out a close victory against the Commanders 17-13. Given how the game started (sack, fumble, touchdown and interception), I see this as a sign of mental toughness the Lions have built in the locker room. They kept fighting and were able to eke out the victory. Let’s break down some of the notable points in the game, and what it might mean for the final 53 man roster.
QB2 Remains Up in the Air
The QB2 position remains undecided, and for good reason. Josh Dobbs, even after a week of practice under his belt, looked uneven. He started the game very poorly, turning the ball over twice and setting the Lions behind by a score. However, thanks to the defense the Lions hung in there.
Altmyer’s play was much more even. While I don’t think he is truly ready for the QB2 position, I think he is the best we have currently for the position. He consistently kept the offense moving, kept his eyes downfield, and did what he had to do to stay on the field. It was not perfect, but I wouldn’t expect it to be from a UDFA rookie QB. I expect that the Lions may add competition before preseason game 3 or after cutdowns (more likely in my opinion).
DE and LB Rooms Shine
If you watched the game, I don’t need to tell you any of this. The reserves in both the LB and DE room continued to shine. Eric O’Neil was a particular bright spot, always seeming to be around the QB creating disruption. While the undersized pass rush specialist may not have a spot on this roster, he certainly will have a spot on the practice squad, or perhaps even catch on with another team. You can’t play like that without raising a few eyebrows.
In the linebacker room, we simply have too many quality linebackers, a good problem to have. With Rolder out, there’s Campbell, Rodriguez, Barnes, Clark, White. I would argue that’s a full complement. I expect the likes of Joe Bachie, Amen Ogbongbemiga, Reeder, and Erick Hunter simply won’t have a spot. Perhaps we can stash Hunter on the practice squad. Only time will tell.
In Fact, the Whole Defense Shines
I mean, if you get down to it. The defense looked great. Lots of QB pressure. Derrick Moore looked worthy of the 2nd round pick he was selected with. Skyler Gill-Howard continued to look good. Rock Ya-Sin played well. Really, there were plays made all over. I take this as a positive sign of the steps that sophomore defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard has taken.
Scruggs Shrugs, McLaughlin Takes Small Step Back
Quite simply Scruggs outplayed McLaughlin. McLaughlin gave up many penalties and bad plays. Scruggs wasn’t perfect, but he was the better of the two in the battle for center. Cade Mays, you can’t come back soon enough. Scruggs will be ok, maybe even a step up from Graham Glasgow last year, but I don’t expect he will be able to play solidly for more than a few games.
Trayveon Willliams: We Hardly Know Thee
Ok, all the reserve running backs looked capable. Saylers looked really solid in my opinion, a very good player to slot in at RB3. I wonder what this all means for Vaki, as I believe he is solidly falling into the RB4 slot after today. However, lets not forget about Trayveon Williams. I get he was playing late, but he played very hard. I expect that he won’t make our roster, but that he will catch on with a team in need of a solid RB3/4.
A Step Up
This week was a step up from last week. It started rough, but fell back into line. It wasn’t perfect, but it shouldn’t be. We started the game with a mix of starters and backups all trying to mesh in ways they likely have practiced very little. The step up gives me confidence in this team, and the defensive performance gives me even more. Let’s end this strong in preseason game three, and put together a solid showing, win or lose.