When the Detroit Lions face the New Orleans Saints in their season opener Sunday, Sept. 13, they will face a quarterback in Tyler Shough they apparently thought a lot of in last year's NFL draft.
"I remember sitting in meetings, we do a lot of crossover examination and stuff and I remember Mark Brunell raving about this kid," Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard said of the team's quarterbacks coach. "I believe if I’m not mistaken he had him No. 1. And there was some pretty good quarterbacks came out in that group and he put him No. 1."
The 40th pick in last year's draft and third quarterback taken overall, Shough completed 67.6% of his passes as a rookie with more touchdowns (10) than interceptions (six) and led the Saints to four wins
in their final five games.
Last year's quarterback draft included two first-round picks - No. 1 overall choice Cam Ward of the Tennessee Titans and No. 25 pick Jaxson Dart of the New York Giants, plus Shedeur Sanders of the Cleveland Browns.
"I’m like, 'Who’s that kid?'" Sheppard said. "And now I turn on the tape and I’m like, 'Oh, that’s the kid y’all are talking about Bru. Dan [Campbell], that’s the kid. Oh, I see it.'"
Sheppard said Shough showed impressive pocket presence for a rookie said the Lions have to prepared for the quarterback's rushing ability. In nine starts last year, Shough ran for 186 yards and three tocuhdowns.
"He’s a big guy, he’s not a small guy so he can see it, he can feel it. And then he can threaten you with his run ability," Sheppard said. "I’m hoping he picks up where he left off Week 2, not Week 1."
Tom Kennedy to handle returns
Not that there was much mystery, but Lions special teams coordinator Dave Fipp confirmed Thursday, Sept. 10, that Tom Kennedy will handle kick and punt returns for the Lions in their opener.
Kennedy is currently on the Lions practice squad, but will be added to the 53-man roster or used as a gameday elevation against the Saints.
"Yeah, we’re excited about that," Fipp said. "Should be great to see. I mean, obviously he’s done it for us a little bit but we’re excited to see him out there."
Kennedy averaged 16.7 yards on three punt returns in a late-season cameo at the position last year. He also handled kick returns in some of the six games he played in 2025 and will do that again this fall.
"Every time we’ve put him back there he’s done something with the ball in his hands, made a little play here or there, kind of created a spark of energy," Fipp said. "Did that in the preseason again. At the end of the day it’s going to be a collective effort of all 11 guys out on the field, not just one guy and not just him certainly. So I’m excited to watch that group play."
Asked why the Lions chose Kennedy for that role over Greg Dortch, who they released at the roster cut deadline, Fipp said Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes make the roster decisions.
"I would just say at the end of the day both guys did a good job for us in training camp, I thought both did some positive things," he said. "There’s some things probably both of them can learn from. And when it comes to making those decisions there’s probably a lot to it, not just any one thing."
Experience matters
Chuck Clark and Avonte Maddox are expected to open the season as the Lions' starting safeties, and Sheppard said he has "all the confidence in the world in these guys because now we’re actually going to be able to do things that we weren’t able to do before."
"What those guys provide for me is 10 years worth of experience in this league," Sheppard said. "When you turn on concepts and you tell them a shock concept, they’ve seen it before so it’s not one you don’t have to show them the tape and say this is what that is. 'Got it coach. What you need me to do what you see that?'"
The Lions started a host of mostly inexperienced safeties last season after they lost Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch to injury. Thomas Harper, Erick Hallett, Daniel Thomas and Maddox all started games for the Lions at the position.
Joseph (knee) and Branch (Achilles) will miss at least the first four weeks of this season while rehabbing from injuries, and Harper is expected to join Clark, who's entering his 10th NFL season, and Maddox, who's entering his ninth, in the safety rotation until they return.
"I’m starting to hear [people talk about] what I’m not going to be able to do" with them at safety, Sheppard said. "No, let’s talk about what I am going to be able to now because of the guys that have been added to this roster and the veteran experience and them understanding why it has to look a certain way pre-snap, why you have to rock in and out of certain things, why on this down and distance. ... They’re watching tape together just players at each other’s houses I'm hearing. Just things like that, that start to come when you really bring in guys culture fit, guys with veteran experience that have seen it done at a high level."
Keys to victory
Sheppard said one of his keys to victory this week (and probably all season) is "no explosive plays by way of mental error or missed tackles."
"Because that’s on us," Sheppard said. "They’re going to do some things in this game, guys. It’s the NFL and I understand that. But what we can’t allow to happen is explosive plays by way of our doing. And what I mean by that is mental errors and missed tackles."
In the offseason, Shepard said his defense gave up 105 explosive plays last season, 82 on passes on 23 on runs. At the time, he said 30-40% of those plays "had no business being there."
Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Did Lions have Saints' Tyler Shough No. 1 on QB draft board in 2025?
