Detroit Lions: How Zach Zenner and George Winn Can Both Make the Roster
By Erik Schlitt
The Detroit Lions offensive scheme can support four running backs: Joique Bell, Ameer Abdullah, and Theo Riddick are locks, leaving Zach Zenner and George Winn to compete for that final spot.
Zenner has shown explosion and solid decision making on offense but his lack of special teams experience has kept him from becoming a roster lock. After four preseason games, Zenner has amassed 183 yards on 35 carries (5.2 yards per attempt). That stat line, along with a strong camp and increased awareness on special teams, has made him the favorite to secure that fourth spot.
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Aug 28, 2015; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Detroit Lions running back Zach Zenner (41) scores a touchdown in the fourth quarter of a preseason NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Field. The Detroit Lions won 22-17. Mandatory Credit: Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports
Winn, who held the Lions fourth running back spot last year, has a lot of pop behind his pads but has struggled to get much going offensively in the preseason and looks like the odd man out in Detroit.
The final few roster spots on every team are allocated for players with special teams abilities and that is where Winn has a shot at making the final 53-man roster. Winn is a special teams demon and it’s the main reason there is even a debate over who secures the fourth running back spot. For him to convince the Lions to keep him as the fifth running back he’s going to have to outplay a special teams player at another position.
So whose spot does he take? Linebacker Travis Lewis.
Travis Lewis is the only player on defense that is a special team player first and position player second. If there was any doubt that Lewis is a special teams player only, it became clear in preseason games 3 & 4 against Jacksonville and Buffalo, where he was given a chance to play a more significant role on defense. While he did well in run defense, his inability to cover or operate in space was exposed and exploited.
Aug 28, 2015; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars running back T.J. Yeldon (24) runs for a first down in front of Detroit Lions linebacker Travis Lewis (50) in the first quarter of a preseason NFL football game at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports
His career snap count further illustrates this point. In three seasons Lewis has been on the field for 500 special teams plays yet only 4 defensive snaps. Linebacker depth is worrisome because of the unknown long term significance of Kyle Van Noy‘s injury, but it is not like Lewis was seeing the field on defense anyway.
Lewis’s play isn’t the only obstacle keeping his roster spot in question. Contractually, Lewis’s cap number for 2015 is a manageable $674,793 (according to overthecap.com), but he is in a contract year and is a free agent in 2016. Winn’s cap number is slightly less at $510,000 and he is also under the Lions control as an Exclusive Rights Free Agent in 2016.
Finally, Lewis was also suspended 4 games in 2013 for PEDs. With one strike against him, he faces a significantly longer suspension if he makes another mistake. He also had his 2014 season cut short ending up on injured reserve with a quad injury.
So if Winn is going to make the team, it won’t be by taking Zenner’s spot, it will be by beating out Travis Lewis for a special teams role.
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