The Detroit Lions hope to bounce back in Week 3 against the Jets. After horrendous back-to-back defensive performances, the Lions need to take a big step forward when they take on Aaron Glenn and the Jets.
As is often the case with the Lions, however, they are dealing with injuries to key defenders. This will force Dan Campbell and Kelvin Sheppard to make adjustments and find new answers.
One defender who will miss Sunday's game is safety Thomas Harper. In Detroit's latest injury report, Harper, along with offensive lineman Ben Bartch, was ruled out for the Jets clash. Besides the two, the Lions don't have any other injury concerns on their 53-man roster.
This comes on the heels of Avonte Maddox's season-ending injury. After he left the Bills game in the second quarter, Harper played a ton of defensive snaps, and he was expected to be the prime beneficiary of Maddox's absence.
Keith Abney can help fill the Lions' void at safety
Heading into the weekend, Campbell said that Christian Izien will get the start at safety. The former Bucs defender has spent most of his career at nickel, but has experience at safety as well.
This also creates an opportunity for Detroit's fifth-round pick, Keith Abney. Earlier in the week, Campbell said that Abney will be a depth option at safety. He also named Jalen Mills, who was signed to the practice squad this week, as a reserve option. Interestingly enough, Bishop Fitzgerald, whom the Lions just signed from the Steelers' practice squad, wasn't mentioned.
This is a noteworthy development for Abney, who was almost exclusively used as an outside cornerback in his collegiate years at Arizona State. During training camp and preseason, the Lions coaching staff had him focus on nickel. In fact, he drew praise from Campbell thanks to his preseason work in the slot.
But desperate times call for desperate measures. The Lions began the season without Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph. They proceeded to lose Avonte Maddox. Now, Harper is out. So, it's next man up, and that man may be the 21-year-old Abney.
Depending on how many snaps Abney will play on Sunday, he will get a chance to earn a permanent role with a Week 3 performance. There is clearly a starting spot up for grabs at safety, and Abney could have as good a chance as anybody to earn it. The Lions have to improve significantly in the defensive backfield, and if Abney can be a part of that solution in Week 3, he will be difficult to ignore.
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