Roster spots are on the line. Which Lions player will earn it in the preseason finale vs. the Steelers?
Training camp has come and gone for the Detroit Lions , but there’s still an opportunity for players on the proverbial roster bubble to make one final impression to earn a spot on the team.
The Lions are set to meet the Pittsburgh Steelers this Saturday in what will be Detroit’s first—and only—home preseason game of the exhibition season. For the players hoping to stick around in Detroit, it’s their last real shot at making the 53-man roster, while those who don’t quite make the cut could still be auditioning for the team’s practice squad.
Which leads us to today’s Question of the Day:
Which Lions player will earn their roster spot against the Steelers?
Before choosing a position to zero in on, or even a specific player, it’s important to consider the priorities this Lions coaching staff has really seemed to emphasize over the years. It all starts with consistency before anything else—a measure of how often a player is showing up and doing their job. With consistency comes dependability, it earns the trust of not only the coaching staff, but the players they’re lining up next to on the field. In the lead up to Week 5 last year, when wide receiver Jameson Williams returned early from his gambling suspension, Dan Campbell didn’t care to measure Williams’ effectiveness by explosive plays or yards and touchdowns.
“Reliability, dependability,” Campbell said last October about what he wanted to see in Williams return to the field. “Get lined up, know where you’re supposed to be, we’re going to get the depth out of you, we can count on you to be where you’re supposed to be when you’re supposed to be there and that’s it.”
The expectations for Williams were no different than any other player that earned their way onto the field for one of Dan Campbell’s teams. It’s never mattered how much of an investment the front office has made into a player, it’s mattered how much that player has bought into holding themselves accountable. Accountable in showing up, spending time on task, proving they’re a player who can be counted on to not only make plays, but make winning plays—even if that means a player’s effort isn’t necessarily showing up in the box score. It’s the entire “no block, no rock” mantra that Ben Johnson had communicated to Jameson Williams during last year’s training camp.
All that being said, there are a couple of players who come to mind when thinking about who showed some real consistency during training camp and the preseason. One of those players is obviously Isaiah Williams, a player whose impressive route running and ability to make plays after the catch have really popped in action. Those traits have made him a really tough guy to leave off of final roster projections despite his lack of ideal size for the type of receiver the Lions are looking to complete their wide receiver room.
Another player who has shown consistency and dependability is Kindle Vildor, a cornerback who showed up in a big way for a second week in a row, forcing two incompletions against the Chiefs. Vildor plays a lot of special teams, as well, and that’s another thing this coaching staff appreciates: versatility and flexibility.
Which player do you think can stamp their spot on the roster with a great showing in this week’s upcoming game against the Steelers? Let us know in the comments below.