INDIANAPOLIS – In most cases, Dan Campbell got the clarity he needed on the final few position battles left on the Detroit Lions roster. In some cases, the waters were muddied even more.
The Lions beat the Indianapolis Colts, 25-16, in their preseason finaleSaturday, Aug. 29, behind strong performances from quarterback Josh Dobbs, running back Jacob Saylors and the offensive line.
Dobbs likely locked up the backup quarterback job behind Jared Goff, completing 15 of 19 passes for 128 yards and leading three of the Lions’ four touchdown drives. And Saylors proved he could be an effective backup to Jahmyr Gibbs should Isiah Pacheco not be ready to start the regular season.
But Campbell said there still are a few tough decisions to make with the cut
to a 53-man roster due at 6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 30.
“Without watching the tape, just out there, feeling it, looking at it, to me, I got some clarity. I could just feel it in a couple of areas,” Campbell said. “And then there is a couple that are muddy now. I'll be honest with you, there's a couple that are a little muddy. You think this is probably where you're going to go, but that’s why you play out the last one, that's why you give them a chance to go out and compete one more time because you want to see them again under the lights and see how they respond, and are they learning? Are they growing? In a couple of areas, guys did that.”
Dobbs and Saylors had the most convincing performances in their bid for jobs on a day the Lions rested most of their starters and key backups and overcame four turnovers to finish the preseason with a 2-1 record.
Dobbs, who officially joined the Lions on Aug. 10 after Teddy Bridgewater retired, played the second and fourth quarters behind undrafted rookie Luke Altmyer.
He led a 16-play, 87-yard touchdown drive on his first series, when he converted three third downs and a fourth down. He closed the first half with an efficient two-minute drive that ended with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Tay Martin and engineered another 14-play touchdown drive in the fourth quarter.
After the game, he said he’s starting to feel more comfortable with his teammates and the Lions’ system now that he’s in his third week on the roster.
“I think [it’s] 17 [days] now. No, we’re not counting,” he said. “It did feel good. As I was sharing, little things. Maybe it’s not team routes, but routes on air and discussions and conversions. ‘Hey, this is what I’m thinking, this is what you’re thinking.’ Those conversations are invaluable, and when you get here quickly from a quarterback and receiver position, it’s hard to trust that we’re on the same page because we don’t know what each other’s thinking. But now to have the time on task and have those opportunities to work and grow together, it was really good to be out there and just let it rip and know the guys are going to be where they’re supposed to be at the right time and watch them make plays and move the football.”
Saylors had 117 yards rushing on 17 carries and broke three runs of 16-plus yards behind an offensive line that started five backups, only two of whom are guaranteed roster spots next week, plus a new center in Mason Miller.
Trayveon Williams added 57 yards rushing on nine carries for a Lions team that held Gibbs and Sione Vaki out of action Saturday and has been without Pacheco because of a knee and back injuries since early in camp.
Along with Dobbs and Saylors, Ennis Rakestraw had six tackles and an interception, Skyler Gill-Howard and Myles Adams had sacks, and Lucky Jackson caught five passes for a game-high 94 yards.
Jackson’s performance could give the Lions more to think about at wide receiver, where he and Martin are among the leading candidates for one or two backup jobs – Tom Kennedy, another top candidate, did not play Saturday except for an appearance on punt return.
And the Lions still have a host of candidates for back-of-the-roster spots on their defensive line, including Adams, Eric O’Neill, Levi Onwuzurike and Mekhi Wingo.
Campbell said he intends to watch film of Saturday’s game by the end of the night so he and Lions general manager Brad Holmes, who did not make the trip to Indianapolis, can sit down early Sunday morning and begin cutting the roster.
“Told the guys, look, it’s an exciting time and it's also, it's kind of a somber time because we know that we've got to make the moves tomorrow,” Campbell said. “And for those guys that have laid it on the line with us, some of these guys we may have to let go have been with us for a year, have been in our program and have given us everything they had through spring, another training camp, did everything we asked them to do, and we may have to say, ‘Hey, we're going to have to move on.' That's a sick feeling. And I hate that for those guys, and like I told them, all I can give them is my respect. So, look, that's hard, but I appreciate them, appreciate everything they did.”
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: Lions close preseason with clarity on roster battles: 'Could just feel it'
