The Detroit Lions didn’t play most of their starters against the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday, but there were a few very important players in action.
First-round pick Blake Miller played for the entire first half. The Lions’ projected starting right tackle has had an up-and-down camp, which is to be expected when he’s lining up against Aidan Hutchinson. Lions coach Dan Campbell thought it was important to douse the rookie in as many reps as possible to get him ready for Week 1 of the regular season.
“It’s a work in progress, and I think a lot of it right now is the pass protection,” Campbell said last week. “I like the run game, but it’s really – it’s the whole game. But listen, he’s in a good spot. And we are going to douse him with reps. We are going to find a way and he will find a way to be the guy.”
So how did Miller do in his first NFL action?
Well, PFF gave him a 66.6 overall grade, which ranked 55th among 166 offensive tackles in action this past weekend. They credited him with two pressures allowed in 24 pass blocking reps, resulting in a 68.1 pass blocking grade.
But let’s throw PFF to the side for a minute. What do true offensive experts think of Miller’s performance? Thankfully, a few weighed in on social media.
First, there’s Geoff Schwartz, who played eight seasons in the NFL as an offensive lineman. He put together a cut-up of Miller’s night, and had some high praise for the rookie right tackle.
“Pass pro looked clean. Moved feet well. Good strikes. Mixed up pass sets which I loved. Outside hand got him in trouble late,” Schwartz tweeted. “Sustaining movement in the run game was a struggle early. Started to figure out later in the game. Had a nice finish in the last clip. The thing I take away most is that he looked like he belonged. Sharp mentally as well. Handled some twists and movement well.”
Long-time NFL guard Brian Baldinger also pitched in, and he uttered the same phrase that Schwartz did “looked like he belonged.”
“I thought it was a good debut for Blake Miller,” Baldinger concludes in his narration of the video. “Lot of football, played the entire first half. All you want to do is see improvement every day from him.”
What I like about Baldinger’s breakdown is he doesn’t shy away from some of Miller’s less successful snaps. On one play, his initial set is good, but Miller allows a pressure to Bengals 2023 first-round pick Myles Murphy.
But Miller wasn’t the only important offensive lineman on the field for the Lions against the Bengals. With Cade Mays’ broken wrist, suddenly reserve center Seth McLaughlin could be a critical player for the team, as he battles Juice Scruggs for the starting job. With Scruggs sidelined last week, McLaughlin got the start at center, logging his first NFL reps since his two rookie preseason performances last year.
Offensive line analyst Brandon Thorn came away very impressed with McLaughlin’s game against the Bengals, and put together a string of his six best clips from the game.
Thorn wasn’t the only one who was impressed. Lions coach Dan Campbell offered significant praise for McLaughlin after the game.
“He’s quick. He’s super sharp and he’s quick and he’s really good at the second level,” Campbell said. “And then pass game is the anchor. He’s just got to bend. And he’s got to do—in a lot of cases, he’s got to do double what somebody else does that has more stature, size or stature to him. That’s the hand he’s dealt. I thought he did that the other night. I did think he anchored better. I thought he strained. I though he tried to do all the little things and that’s a credit to him. So, I certainly was not disappointed with him the other day.”
It’s just one game for each player, but I think it’s safe to say both had encouraging Lions debuts.
