Three positions to watch during Detroit Lions preseason finale

The Detroit Lions head to Cleveland tonight to square off against the Browns in the fourth and final preseason contest of 2019. The Browns mentioned none of their starters would play tonight, expect a similar approach for Detroit tonight.

It’s been an intriguing preseason thus far for the Detroit Lions. Although the team is playing basically base defense and a simple style of offense, the position battles have been fun to watch throughout training camp and preseason.

The Detroit Lions are expected to have backup quarterback Tom Savage back tonight. He suffered his fourth concussion over the last three seasons in the Detroit Lions preseason opener versus the New England Patriots. Recently the Lions released David Fales. After signing veteran QB Josh Johnson and watching him operate with the second and third-string, it was apparent he is a better option than Fales.

There is no guarantee the Lions keep three QB’s on the roster, but with Savage’s injury history the organization may elect to keep three. It’s something many teams choose not to do anymore. Roster positions are so critical in today’s game. You don’t want your 53rd man holding the backup quarterback’s jacket while QB2 is holding the Microsoft surface pro. You hope the 53rd man on the roster is covering kicks on special teams not wearing a red jersey in practice.

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The Lions also recently signed Luis Perez. He will briefly be competing with Johnson for the third-string job. If Savage is unable to survive tonight’s game due to another unforeseen injury, it will be essential to have another arm ready. Again, I’m very interested to see if the Lions burn a roster spot on a third QB due to Savage’s health.

Another player to watch is Brandon Powell. The young receiver seems to be the favorite at the moment to win the fourth wide receiver spot on the roster. The Lions are sure to keep five potentially a sixth if they feel the sixth can regularly contribute on special teams.

The Lions recently added second-year professional Jordan Lasley. The Ravens recently cut Lasley after a fight during practice. It’s not the first time Lasley has had character issues. In college, UCLA suspended the wideout for three games for violating team rules. He didn’t play a snap during his rookie year, but his former head coach John Harbaugh said he’d taken significant strides in year two but didn’t fit their scheme.

He will be competing with Chris Lacy, rookie Travis Fulgham, Brandon Powell, Jonathan Duhart, Andy Jones and veteran Tommylee Lewis for a final roster spot.

The third position to watch is the entire backup offensive line. I feel that the reserves have plenty of question marks. The starting five themselves haven’t been anything to write home about but if an injury occurs similar to the Frank Ragnow scare it will all but ruin the Lions season.

Tyrell Crosby returned to practice this week after being sidelined with a concussion. He’s a swing tackle. He looked flat out terrible against the Patriots during week one of the preseason. He will need to be better tonight if he’s cleared to play.

Kenny Wiggins was battling with Joe Dahl for the starting left guard position. It appears Dahl has won the job for now. Due to the injury to Crosby, Wiggins has been taking reps at tackle. His versatility should keep him around.

Next. Lions have serious problems at Left Guard. dark

As bad as the offensive line has been, don’t be surprised if the Detroit Lions look for an upgrade when teams need to trim their rosters to 53 by the 4 PM Saturday deadline. Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia will be vigorously scanning the roster moves in hopes of bringing in a hidden gem. Maybe someone that is released due to offensive line depth elsewhere.

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