Throughout the week, Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell has talked about tweaks and adjustments they plan on making to their defense to pull them out of their current rut. Again, he has teased some personnel changes, and on Wednesday, he revealed two players who may get more playing time this week against the Arizona Cardinals.
“I think (Keith) Abney will probably help us out a little bit more here this week. So, will (Jalen) Mills. I can see both those guys taking on a bigger role,” Campbell said.
Abney, one of the team’s fifth-round picks this year, has only played 25 defensive snaps all season, all in the team’s season opener. In training camp, he was comfortably behind both Roger McCreary and Christian Izien at the nickel position. However, Detroit has already made several shakeups to the secondary that have opened this opportunity for him. Izien has been playing more at safety after the injuries to Avonte Maddox and Thomas Harper. Meanwhile, McCreary has been getting more opportunities at outside cornerback after the Lions benched Rock Ya-Sin two weeks into the season.
If Abney takes over at nickel, it will be interesting to see what they do with the rest of their cornerback room. Campbell has also talked about giving more opportunities to Ennis Rakestraw after two promising situational roles in the last couple weeks. Could that mean pushing McCreary to the bench in favor of Rakestraw? Or is it possible the Lions are considering benching D.J. Reed and riding with Rakestraw and McCreary on the outside, with Abeny at nickel? Or this may just mean getting Abney some situational play at nickel, and nothing more.
As for Mills, the team signed the veteran safety just two weeks ago after the injuries to the safety position. He played four snaps late in the Lions’ loss to the Panthers, working in both the box safety and nickel roles. He could take reps from Christian Izien, who has shown some struggles in both the run and pass game. Or he could also be a part of the nickel conversation.
It’s probably worth mentioning there’s an outside chance that Pro Bowl safety Brian Branch could play on Sunday after returning to practice from an Achilles tear on Wednesday. However, coach Dan Campbell noted that it will take time for him to knock off rust, and Detroit typically gives players coming off a long-term injury at least a couple weeks of practice before playing them.
We’ll have to wait until Sunday to see exactly what the Lions will trot out there in their secondary, but it certainly promises to be a significantly different lineup than in previous weeks.
