The Detroit Lions will kickoff their second game of the preseason, this time at home against the Washington Commanders on Saturday, and as the possibilities and promise of a summer’s training camp fade into the night, the rise of the midnight sun comes to sweat you in your bed.
Here are five burning questions still facing the Lions ahead of their penultimate preseason game.
What’s Detroit’s plan along the interior of the offensive line?
The Lions caught a bad break when they learned that center Cade Mays was going to miss anywhere from eight to 10 weeks with a wrist
injury that will sideline him well into the start of their regular season. Truth be told, it’s been a stalled start for the interior of Detroit’s offensive line this summer. Juice Scruggs, part of the return for the offseason trade of David Montgomery to the Houston Texans, missed time with an undisclosed soft tissue injury earlier in training camp and is just now getting work with the first-team offense. Early returns have been a mixed bag, including botched snaps and tough sledding against a formidable group of interior defensive pressure from the likes of Alim McNeill and Tyleik Williams.
Seth McLaughlin earned some praise for his preseason performance against one of the NFL’s best defensive tackles, Dexter Lawrence, and he’s played his way into a true competition for the starting center job in Detroit after Mays’ injury. But even after that encouraging start, the Lions, for a second year in a row, still gave second-year player Tate Ratledge another go at the center position earlier this week—and it lasted exactly one practice before the team returned to a rotation of Scruggs, McLaughlin, and Michael Niese.
It at least seemed like part of the initiative to slide Ratledge into the center spot was to make room, finally, for veteran Ben Bartch to throw his hat into the ring for the competition at left guard. Christian Mahogany seems to still have pole position, but with so much still up in the air along the interior of Detroit’s offensive line, it’d be reassuring to see some of these pieces fall into place sooner rather than later. Week 1 of the 2025 season is firmly in the rearview, but hopefully the lessons learned about an offensive line in flux at season’s start are not lost on this regime.
Who is Detroit’s slot cornerback when they go into their nickel defense?
A spot once held down by Amik Robertson for the past couple of seasons has given way to a host of different players competing for the slot cornerback position in Detroit’s defense. Newcomers Christian Izien, Roger McCreary, and rookie Keith Abney II are vying for an all-important position to help Detroit reclaim their stout run defense, as outlined here by Anthony Balaj.
Izien made his return off the non-football injury list just after the start of training camp, kicking the flu and getting cross-trained at safety and slot corner in Kelvin Sheppard’s defense. He appears to be the frontrunner for the job at the moment, but after some strong play from Abney and McCreary in Detroit’s first preseason game against the Bengals—especially in run defense—there’s some intrigue surrounding how things will shake out at this spot in the Lions secondary.
Another name to consider is the much-maligned Ennis Rakestraw. His preseason debut unraveled about as badly as it could have, but after stringing together some strong showings in practice, where does Rakestraw fit into this secondary? His run defense was one of his strongest traits at Missouri, but his body has had trouble holding up in the NFL, so could some refinement and changes to his approach to tackling keep him on the field? Based on the conclusions to those questions, is he best served to play outside instead of the slot?
What will Detroit prioritize in their depth at WR5/6?
Typically, at the bottom of any given position’s depth chart, it’s critical those players provide special teams play. If they’re not seeing the field on offense or defense, special teams require special players in specific roles across a variety of phases, whether it’s kickoff, kick return, punt coverage, etc.
As it stands, Greg Dortch is the team’s replacement for Kalif Raymond in a sense: he’s returning punts and one of the players back returning kicks alongside another returner—oftentimes it’s been running back Jacob Saylors. But when it comes to the wide receivers beyond Dortch, what exactly is Detroit looking for in those players? Dan Campbell said the wide receiver room is the best it’s been since he arrived in 2021, and there’s been plenty of play to justify the hype from Detroit’s head coach. Tay Martin impressed enough to earn first-team reps during Jameson Williams’ absence with a shoulder injury, Dominic Lovett has flashed some ability to separate and make plays, and Tarik Black hauled in Detroit’s lone touchdown reception on a smooth catch and run against the Bengals.
However, there’s also the veteran Cedrick Wilson Jr., someone who earned early praise from the coaching staff during OTAs. He started in Detroit’s first preseason contest, played just 15 snaps on offense, but made an impressive, outstretched grab for 23 yards on the team’s first drive. Interestingly enough, there were three receivers who dressed that didn’t log a snap on special teams against the Bengals: Wilson, Isaac TeSlaa, and Tom Kennedy. While Wilson has 373 special teams snaps under his belt during his seven-year career—playing 138 of those snaps recently in 2024 with the New Orleans Saints—could Detroit be more interested in having a reliable receiver capable of lining up at the X, Y, and Z positions? Does that also speak to Tom Kennedy’s chances—another player with special teams experience—at locking down one of these—potentially—two spots available? Could Detroit choose to outsource some of their special teams snaps to players at other positions like running back and defensive back that would normally go to a receiver? Or does Wilson and Kennedy’s lack of involvement on special teams speak to Detroit’s comfort level in knowing what those guys are capable of on special teams, and at the same time, trying to figure out what some of those less experienced players bring to the table in those phases?
What if Jimmy Rolder avoids getting put on injured reserve?
In a surprising development, the Lions may be getting a player back from injury sooner than initially expected. During a recent podcast appearance, rookie linebacker Jimmy Rolder offered an optimistic outlook on when he could return to action.
“Leg is getting better. We’re definitely making some strides,” Rolder told the “X’s and Bro’s” podcast on Aug. 18. “I’ll be back out there in a week—week or so. We’ll see.”
Any good developments about an injury are obviously welcome news, but it could complicate things a bit. Instead of assuming Rolder would miss the first four weeks of the season and not count toward the initial 53-man roster, the Lions could find themselves having to make some tough decisions in the linebacker room. Devin White, who was signed after Rolder’s injury, has looked very competent on defense, fitting the run and bringing some juice as a blitzer. Damone Clark has missed time during training camp, as well as the first preseason game, so he and other veteran guys like Troy Reeder and Joe Bachie could end up missing out on a spot on the final roster should Rolder return in time to be counted on for special teams work.
Which quarterback will earn the coaching staff’s trust—and then the backup job?
The preseason opener in Cincinnati wasn’t the best opportunity to evaluate quarterback play. The inclement weather led to some sloppy play and execution on offense, but both quarterbacks managed to look poised and in command more often than not. Procedural things like breaking the huddle on time and getting the offense set weren’t issues as they have been in past preseasons. For both a UDFA like Luke Altmyer and Josh Dobbs, who had literally joined the team days before playing in the first preseason game, both of them looked the part.
But these next two weeks of games and practices will provide a lot of opportunities for both quarterbacks. Dobbs is the veteran and has familiarity with offensive coordinator Drew Petzing. In the past, Dan Campbell and Co. have shown a preference for a more established signal caller with some experience on their resume. David Blough, Nate Sudfeld, Teddy Bridgewater, and most recently Kyle Allen all had some years under their belt, but this has been the year where Detroit is revisiting their approach to how they do business.
One interesting tactic the Lions could pull with their tandem of backup quarterbacks was suggested by John Whiticar earlier this week:
“… Dobbs has the benefit of not being subject to waivers due to his accrued seasons, and that led to some roster gymnastics. If the Lions cut Dobbs, I think the Lions could get the best of both worlds: keep Altmyer on the 53 and off waivers while also re-signing Dobbs to the practice squad and elevating him to the game-day roster for the first two weeks. By Week 3, perhaps the team will have more confidence in Altmyer as QB2 or an injury on the roster will open up a spot for Dobbs. This choice merely kicks the can down the road, but I see no harm in trying to keep both backups in the organization.”
It could be a good bit of business and in the best interest for Detroit to have their cake and eat it, too, when it comes to the backup quarterback position. But there’s still plenty of time for either of these quarterbacks to prove they’re the guy for the job outright.
