Even though the stakes of a preseason game are low, a win feels good nonetheless. The Detroit Lions defeated the Washington Commanders in their second preseason game with a modest 17-13 score line. There has been promise on both sides of the ball, but an equal number of questions still up in the air.
A fair number of Lions starters saw action on Saturday, yet that was more of a tune up for the regular season. Where things got interesting was the state of the reserves. Some of them mixed in with starters,
while others only got late-game snaps. Regardless of when they entered the game, these backups played like their jobs depended on it—because it did.
Which players took a hit to their stock after the Commanders game?
Previously: 5 Lions who helped their roster chances vs. Commanders
Seth McLaughlin, C
McLaughlin had an impressive preseason debut against the Cincinnati Bengals last week, but his game took a notable step back against the Commanders. Washington’s interior was giving him fits throughout the game through a speed, power, or a combination of both. While he was only credited with allowing one sack, he did a subpar job keeping the pocket clean for either Joshua Dobbs or Luke Altmyer as both quarterbacks were forced outside far too many times.
Worse yet for McLaughlin, he had a string of bad penalties that would normally kill a drive. On third-and-5, he double clutched a snap which led to a false start by Miles Frazier, then subsequently false started himself on the next play. The Lions lucked out with a 20-yard defensive pass interference penalty on the ensuing play, but that does not excuse the mistakes—turning a third-and-short into third-and-long is something that cannot happen.
McLaughlin saw a sizeable number of snaps due to Michael Niese’s injury, so he will likely hang onto the backup center position behind Juice Scruggs if Niese misses time. However, given how perilous his roster spot is, he needs a rebound in the Lions’ final preseason game. Because Tate Ratledge could be a game-day emergency center, having a backup on the active roster is not a pressing need—McLaughlin has to earn it.
Joshua Dobbs, QB
Last week, I said that Luke Altmyer’s roster chances took a hit because he failed to capitalize on an opportunity to elevate himself in the QB2 battle. This week, I will ding Dobbs for a similar reason. While credited with two turnovers, the only one that was truly his fault was the interception. However, that interception was an absolute mess. Despite good protection from the offensive line, Dobbs had happy feet and wound up rolling outside the pocket. He stopped, planted, and pulled the trigger on a cross-body pass with a rusher in his face and sailed it into the arms of a defender. To add insult, he had Tay Martin wide open underneath (in his field of view as well) and could have connected for an easy first down—additionally, Martin’s nearest defender was a linebacker, so he had the matchup advantage to turn it into an even bigger gain. A veteran should not be making decisions like that.
Dobbs redeemed himself with a 50-yard touchdown run (with Martin and Tyler Conklin providing pivotal blocks to spring him) on the next drive, flashing his elite athleticism. That being said, his ability as a runner was always a known commodity. I was personally hoping to see more from him as a passer, and his production thus far has been modest. Through two games, neither Dobbs nor Altmyer have seized the backup quarterback spot.
As I mentioned in my 53-man roster prediction, because Dobbs is not subject to waivers, there is a chance that the Lions opt to keep Altmyer and sign Dobbs to the practice squad risk-free (unless he signs elsewhere, of course). If neither quarterback takes the lead, that could be the deciding factor for who makes the initial roster—the margins are that slim.
Nick Whiteside, CB
The bar has been set fairly high for Whiteside given his play in training camp and the first preseason game. However, he came back to Earth against the Commanders. Whiteside allowed the most receiving yards of all Lions defensive backs with 69 yards on three receptions. While 55 of those yards came on a deep shot to Nick Nash, those are 55 yards you hate to allow. Nash is far from a burner either (a 40-yard time of 4.57 seconds), but he simply outran Whiteside down the sideline. Another of Whiteside’s allowed catches came on a juke courtesy of Van Jefferson—Whiteside got bit with his hips facing outside while Jefferson cut inside for an easy catch. That being said, he did recover well to limit the catch to just a 4-yard gain.
The main reason why I’m listing Whiteside here is not necessarily his performance, but because of the roster implications. While I have been impressed with Whiteside prior to this game, I still think the team values Ennis Rakestraw more—they drafted him early for a reason and likely still believe in his potential. If Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph start the season on the active 53-man roster, the secondary suddenly becomes very crowded. D.J. Reed, Rock Ya-Sin, Keith Abney, and Christian Izien are locks. Chuck Clark, Thomas Harper, and Avonte Maddox should be locks. Khalil Dorsey is an elite special teamer on a team without other reliable gunners.
That is already 11 defensive backs to keep. That leaves Whiteside competing with Roger McCreary for a roster spot, a player who has quietly had a fantastic preseason (currently leading the defense in PFF grade). Whiteside is almost exclusively an outside cornerback, further limiting his value.
I still think that Whiteside deserves a roster spot, but he might simply be a victim of the numbers game—he needs to be great, not just good to overcome the odds. Is that fair? Not really, but that is the nature of this roster.
Colby Sorsdal, OL
The book is all but closed on Sorsdal. Whether at guard or tackle, his performance on the field is simply not cutting it. Sorsdal got early looks at right tackle on Saturday, but after allowing a sack midway through the second quarter, he was pulled in favor of Miles Frazier. He would return later in the second half when more reserves were brought in, but his struggles persisted. In particular, he gave up a pressure that forced Joshua Dobbs into a slight overthrow of Tay Martin for what could have been a significant gain—Martin nearly had it, but with a split second more time, Dobbs would not have had to rush the throw.
Given that the Lions are fairly set at tackle with Penei Sewell, Blake Miller, Larry Borom, and Miles Frazier, there is not much room for Sorsdal even if he was performing well. As for reserve spots on the roster, he has not even outperformed players like Devin Cochran, Mason Miller, Melvin Priestly. Not only is he unlikely to make the roster, he might not even make the practice squad.
Dominic Lovett, WR
Another stock down performance for Lovett, although this time for different reasons. Whereas he struggled with hands in the first preseason game (dropping two passes and muffing a punt), the red flag in this game was his lack of usage in general. Earlier in the week, special teams coordinator said that the punt return job was largely down to Greg Dortch and Tom Kennedy. That decision erases one avenue for Lovett to make the team, but he is failing to stand out in any other capacity.
A week after leading the team in targets, Lovett had just two (out of 25 pass attempts) against the Commanders. His snap count plummeted from 39 last week to 14 this week, none of which came on special teams—no punt returns, no kick returns, no coverage. Most of his snaps came in the fourth quarter, well after players like Tay Martin, Cedrick Wilson Jr., Tom Kennedy, and Tarik Black. I wouldn’t blame you if you thought he didn’t play in this game.
If Lovett is being phased out of special teams and he is being passed on the wide receiver depth chart, his chances of making the roster are looking slimmer by the day.
