With their chances for a playoff spot dwindling and three big games on the horizon, the time for player development has passed for the Detroit Lions. Entering Week 16, the Lions most likely need to win out to have a chance at the playoffs, and even then, they’ll need some help from the opponents of the Chicago Bears or Green Bay Packers to make the field.
WIth this in mind, there are probably few conversations about what the team is going to look like in 2026, but an exception is offensive tackle Giovanni Manu.
The seldom-used fourth-round pick from the 2024 draft was designated to return from injured reserve this week, giving him 21 days to be activated or placed back on IR for the rest of the season. Although that sounded promising that he could be available – even as a backup tackle – for the final stretch, Manu’s performance to date and grim reality had Dan Campbell singing a tune of desperation when talking to reporters on Wednesday.
“I think for Gio, it’s, he needs reps,” Campbell said via Dave Birkett of The Detroit Free Press. “Practice reps, get out there against our defense, against [Marcus] Davenport and Hutch [Aidan Hutchinson] in real-time practice. It’s not a ton of them and it’s not like training camp, but God, he just needs reps, man.
“...He cannot get enough reps and if we’re able to use him or there’s something there this year, that’s a bonus. It’s really about getting him, man, will this set him up better for next year? Training camp, going into that next year? That’s really it.”
The Lions Are Approaching a Moment of Truth with Giovanni Manu
Campbell’s comments about getting Manu reps couldn’t be more accurate. Detroit took a flier on Manu out of the University of British Columbia knowing that he would be a project, but after spending the entirety of his rookie season as a healthy scratch, Manu has appeared in just four games and made one start this season.
That start, filling in for an injured Taylor Decker in a Week 5 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, didn’t go well as he posted a 42.2 overall grade and allowed two sacks on 28 pass-blocking snaps according to Pro Football Focus. But Manu couldn’t build on the good things in that performance when he was injured during practice a few weeks later.
The injury has lasted two months and while the Lions may not need Manu in the starting lineup with Decker currently at left tackle, they need to know what they have in Manu as Decker recently told Birkett that he’ll consider retirement this offseason.
But this isn’t an ideal situation for a player that is approaching the midway point of his rookie contract. WIth Campbell almost admitting the practice window is to get him on the field, Manu isn’t trending in a direction where he’s the starting left tackle in Year 3 if Decker retires. This puts the Lions in a tough spot while also preparing for a stretch that will decide their season and could keep the clock ticking on Manu’s chance to contribute in Detroit.