Detroit Lions Preseason Week 4 Game Ball: Kerry Hyder

When the Detroit Lions hosted the Buffalo Bills in week four of the preseason, several players stood out but it was Kerry Hyder who performed the best and took home this weeks Game Ball.

The Detroit Lions defensive lineman Kerry Hyder entered the final preseason game on the roster bubble. Knowing he needed to have a statement game, he showed up in a big way. His effort on every snap is why he won this weeks “Game Ball”.

Let take a look at how the Lions writers tweeted out his progress.

After the Buffalo Bills first drive:

Then during the Bills second drive:

Now during the Bills fourth drive:

After the Bills fifth drive:

Then after the Bills sixth drive:

And finally in the last two minutes of the game Hyder struck again, registering his third sack.

Hyder thrived in Teryl Austin’s attacking scheme tonight. When the Bills dropped back to throw he penetrated with a variety of moves and came up with several big plays. Hyder finished the night with three solo tackles, three sacks, and three quarterback hits.

While Hyder had a productive night pass rushing, he still needs to improve his play against the run. In the play he dropped into coverage he looked out of place, but the tight end still had to push off of Hyder (no penalty called) to gain separation. He made a strong effort tonight and he will be the guy everyone is talking about leading up to player cuts on Saturday.

Honorable Mentions

Running back Dwayne Washington may have just solidified his roster spot with this run:

Jace Billingsley had another solid preseason outing, finishing up his night securing seven of eight passes, for 80 yards and a touchdown. Here’s a look at his one-handed touchdown:

Hyder, Washington, and Billingsley all performed well tonight. And there is a case to be made for each one of them to make the roster. But all three player are in competitions with strong players and one game isn’t going to make or break a roster spot.

Did they do enough? We will know by 4:00 on Sunday when the Lions roster must stand at 53 players. If they don’t make the roster, all three players are eligible for the practice squad and would be priorities for Bob Quinn.

Next: Detroit Lions: Updated Preaseason 75-man Roster Stack

Previous Preseason Game Ball Winners:
Preseason Week 1: Zach Zenner
Preseason Week 2: Tahr Whitehead
Preseason Week 3: Haloti Ngata