Over the last month or so, the Detroit Lions have been trying to find an answer to their left guard situation with Christian Mahogany banged up. Mahogany suffered a leg injury in Week 9 against the Minnesota Vikings and was placed on injured reserve shortly after.
With Mahogany sidelined, the Lions have rolled out Kayode Awosika, Trystan Colon, and rookie Miles Frazier at left guard over the last six games. Colon and Frazier have exclusively gotten reps at left guard the past two weeks, with Awosika dealing with a knee injury. Each of these individuals has achieved varying degrees of success but has mostly struggled, highlighting why the Lions need Mahogany back.
Luckily for Detroit, it appears Mahogany could be on his way back as soon as Sunday, which likely spells the end of the road for Colon. According to Nolan Bianchi of The Detroit News, Lions head coach Dan Campbell said on Wednesday that the team is “hopeful” that Mahogany can play against the Steelers. Campbell added that the second-year lineman looked pretty good in practice last week.
Colon Likely Headed to Bench with Mahogany’s Return on the Horizon
Before suffering the injury in Week 9, Mahogany was enduring the ups and downs of being a first-time starter in his second year as a pro.
The former Boston College lineman held his own in run blocking, posting a 75.6 grade from Pro Football Focus, which is a solid grade. In the eight games he played in, Mahogany had a run block grade of at least 70 or higher four times, including his last game against the Vikings (80.3).
However, as proficient as he may have been blocking for the run game, Mahogany had his fair share of troubles in pass blocking, posting a rather ugly 47.3 PFF grade. Given that he allowed 19 pressures and two sacks on 259 pass blocking snaps, it is understandable why Mahogany had such a low rating. But when you compare his numbers to what Colon has done, it’s almost night and day.
The 27-year-old Colon, who has played center and left guard for Detroit recently, has not done a good job handling pressure with fewer snaps than Mahogany.
According to PFF, Colon has allowed 10 pressures on 150 snaps over the last few weeks, which is not great. The only other players with more pressures allowed than Colon are Anthony Belton (12), Mehki Becton (12), and Ed Ingram (14). If we're being honest, this is not a group you want to be part of.
Colon also has a 44.2 overall grade, which ranks 68th among 71 eligible guards, clearly showing how bad he’s been since getting more playing time. That said, if Mahogany can play on Sunday against a solid Steelers’ defensive line, it should allow Colon to slide back into a reserve role, which is what the Lions had envisioned when re-signing him.
The Lions likely didn’t expect Colon to play this much, as it showed some clear weaknesses in his game, and teams took advantage of it. Looking towards the offseason, one does wonder if the Lions will bring him back, especially since they already have their backup guard in Frazier, who has the upside worth developing.