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Cornelius Washington active, Detroit Lions still one pass rusher short

By Ash Thompson

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - OCTOBER 1: Case Keenum #7 of the Minnesota Vikings drops back to pass the ball while pursued by defender Ezekiel Ansah #94 of the Detroit Lions in the second half of the game on October 1, 2017 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - OCTOBER 1: Case Keenum #7 of the Minnesota Vikings drops back to pass the ball while pursued by defender Ezekiel Ansah #94 of the Detroit Lions in the second half of the game on October 1, 2017 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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The Detroit Lions are almost ready to go on the defensive line. The only missing piece, however, is the only one that matters.

The Detroit Lions are getting their players onto the field. When the preseason began names like Ziggy Ansah, Devon Kennard, and Cornelius Washington were missing. That gave some younger players a chance to shine, but the Lions hopes for a good season do not rest on the shoulders of Jeremiah Valoaga and Alex Barrett.

A couple days ago Devon Kennard made his first meaningful appearance at Detroit Lions practice. He was the first of the Detroit Lions pass rushers to move from the PUP or NFI list to the field. He is raring to go. He has made comments about upcoming practices with his former Giants teammates that were taken out of context in a headline from the Freep. Kennard essentially said that when the pads go on, the friendships end.

Cornelius Washington joined the team today. He is a versatile piece of the Detroit Lions defensive line group. He joined the team in 2017. He will be fighting Valoaga and Barrett for reps during the pre-season. Washington needs to be on the field and excelling to keep his job in 2018. More competition is always better for the team, so his return is welcome.

All of that is great, but it is really just polishing the brass on the Titanic without the final piece. Ziggy Ansah has still not joined the team on the field. The rest of the group, in their career high seasons, have combined for 18 sacks. Ziggy Ansah had 14.5 in 2015.  His importance to the team can not be overstated.

Until all the pieces are on the field and ready to go, we are not going to get a full picture of what the defense might look like. There is nobody on the Lions roster that can do what Ansah does. Reports of the scheme, one driven largely by the capabilities of the individual players on the field, are irrelevant until the defense’s most important player is practicing.

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The only live action the first team is going to see in the first pre-season game, Thursday, Aug 9, against the Oakland Raiders, is the first drive. It is still not time to get too concerned about Ansah. The players getting the reps now need them more than he does. However, in a couple weeks it will become time to get nervous.

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