Preseason: a sign that our beloved sport is coming back, but we still need to have some patience. We won’t be seeing much of Stafford rifling sidearms to Golden Tate, or Darius Slay shutting down the opponent’s #1 receiver. Instead, the preseason will give the coaching staff time to evaluate situations and personnel and decide what’s best when the games count towards the record books. We, as fans, can still watch along and learn some more about this year’s team. Here are the four things to watch for in the first preseason game of the season.
- Kenny Golladay
Third round picks usually do not receive as much hype as Kenny Golladay has received this offseason. Even former Bengals receiver and future Hall of Famer Chad Ochocinco gave the Northern Illinois product praise, posting to Twitter saying “That young boul Golladay has that “IT” factor”. Sunday will the be the first appearance for Golladay in a Lions uniform, and his first chance to show the world that the hype around him is real. Expect him to get some snaps on the outside and in the slot, as Jim Caldwell and Jim Bob Cooter will be keeping a close eye on him to see where he excels. It’s finally time for Golladay to tell the world that he is for real.
2. Cornerback #2 and #3
Darius Slay is obviously locked in to be the #1 cornerback this year, but #2 and #3 are different stories. The Lions shifted around last year, with Quandre Diggs, Nevin Lawson, Adarius Barnes and Johnson Bademosi receiving snaps. This year, the Lions added DJ Hayden in free agency and drafted Teez Tabor and Jamal Agnew. DJ Hayden played last year for Oakland and showed flashes of promise, but didn’t draw enough attention by teams to get a large contract. Teez Tabor was drafted in the second round out of the University of Florida. Tabor was a projected first-round pick until his slow 40 yard dash time at the combine gave some front offices across the league worries that he couldn’t keep up with NFL receivers. Jamal Agnew was drafted in the fifth round from San Diego University. Playing in the FCS doesn’t give a player much coverage for NFL scouts to examine, but the speed of Agnew made him a good pick for the Lions at number 165. Look for Diggs, Lawson, and Tabor to play primary cornerback in the game this Sunday.
3. Offensive Line
The offensive line was a major concern for the Lions this offseason, and Bob Quinn realized that, going out and signing two Pro Bowlers in guard TJ Lang and tackle Rick Wagner. While this seemed at the time like it secured the offensive line to be a real force this season, injury struck. Taylor Decker went down with a torn labrum in early June and is expected to miss 4-6 months. The Lions now have a dilemma at left tackle. They traded for Greg Robinson, a 4 year player from Auburn who has spent his professional career with the Rams. They also signed Cyrus Kouandjio from the Bills and picked up undrafted rookie Storm Norton from the University of Toledo. Odds are, there will be a lot of shuffling between players along the offensive line during the preseason to find out which lineup of players Jim Caldwell and Jim Bob Cooter prefer.
4. Running Back Core
Last year’s Lions had an interesting season with running backs. Ameer Abdullah was lined up to be the starter, but fell to injury early in the season. Theo Riddick, who has been primarily a pass catcher out of the backfield, took the snaps at running back until he too fell to injury. Zach Zenner and Dwayne Washington eventually took over the running back spot, with Zenner being the primary rusher to end the 2016 campaign. With Abdullah and Riddick back to full health, the situation seems to be more clear, but with the signing of Matt Asiata from the Vikings, the position becomes more flexible than it seems. Expect to see Asiata take most of the snaps as a power back in the red zone on Sunday, with Zenner and Washington dueling it out for a higher position on the depth chart.
The Lions play the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, August 13th at 1:30 ET at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.
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