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Detroit Lions: Five Things The 2016 Preseason Taught Us

By Colton Wesley

Sep 1, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions head coach Jim Caldwell (right) shakes hands with Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan (left) after the game at Ford Field. Lions win 31-0. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 1, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions head coach Jim Caldwell (right) shakes hands with Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan (left) after the game at Ford Field. Lions win 31-0. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 27, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions punter Sam Martin (6) high fives kicker Matt Prater (5) after a field goal during the second quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 27, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions punter Sam Martin (6) high fives kicker Matt Prater (5) after a field goal during the second quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports /

4. The Lions have a solid special teams unit. Also, drafting a long snapper is a bad idea.

Matt Prater and Sam Martin are among the top specialists in the league, and consistent veteran Don Muhlbach beat out injured reserve-bound rookie Jimmy Landes for the long snapper job.

The Lions, although not cutting bait on him, could not justify holding Landes on the 53-man roster or even the practice squad despite investing a fifth-round pick in him, a player who very well might have gone undrafted otherwise and struggled with his snaps in the preseason.

There are a few guys on this team who can return kicks. Dwayne Washington showed off his ability with a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Jace Billingsley averaging 32.5 yards per kick return and 10.5 yards per punt return in the preseason.

The coverage teams looked decent as well. Johnson Bademosi was signed in large part because of his special teams coverage abilities, and Washington, Carey, George Winn and Jay Lee among others have shown that they can contribute on coverage teams.

Next: Number 5

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