Four takes on what we saw on day one of Detroit Lions training camp
By Ash Thompson
Punt return battle
Jamal Agnew was an all-pro punt returner in 2017. Going in another direction makes absolutely no sense on the surface. There were multiple games that relied on Agnew for a significant momentum change, and the rookie delivered.
With that said, according to Eric Schlitt of Lionswire, Agnew spent a lot of time with the first team defense as a nickel corner. If he is going to start games in that position, the team may not want to use him in the highest injury risk plays of the season.
Allowing others to show what they can do also assists the coaching staff in selecting the players to round out the bottom of the roster. When deciding who the fifth receiver on the 53 man roster is, or which players to sign to the practice squad, performance as a returner is the most likely determinant.
Not only undrafted rookies got their chance, however. Golden Tate, TJ Jones, Ameer Abdullah, Teo Redding, Jace Billingsley and Brandon Powell all had their chance to go after punts from Sam Martin and Ryan Santoso. I put that list in order of least to most impact on the player’s prospect to make the team.
Swing tackle battle
Tyrell Crosby was running as the left tackle with the second team, and Corey Robinson on the right. There are generally only three offensive tackles that a team really ever wants to see on the field. The swing tackle takes the first team practice reps when a starter gets a cramp, needs a maintenance day or, god forbid, gets injured.
Robinson is a relatively known quantity in both a good and bad way. He has filled in several times over the course of his career. He is not terrible. There are probably teams (The Chicago Bears immediately come to mind) where Robinson would be a starter.
Crosby, however, is the most intriguing player of the Lions 2018 draft. Most expectations were that he would go much higher than he did. I am not going to link a specific 2017 ranking list. He is a second-round prospect on all of them and he fell to the Lions in the fifth round.
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He would have been lining up against the Lions third-string pass rushers, a group he should be able to handle athletically with ease. The absence of a Ziggy Ansah or Devon Kennard would have pushed the usual second team to the top of the day’s depth chart. This was a good opportunity to take a look at Crosby in that spot without exposing him to anything he isn’t ready for.