Looking at the Detroit Lions snap counts, and the order in which players played vs. the Chiefs.
The Detroit Lions’ second preseason game went much better than the first, as they walked away 24-23 winners over the Kansas City Chiefs .
But outcome has little importance in the preseason game. What matters is player evaluation and development. While it’s hard to know where each player stands in the mind of the coaching staff, one peek into their opinions is how they utilize their players. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the snap counts from preseason Week 2 while also focusing on the order of play.
Did not play (35):
QB Jared Goff
QB Jake Fromm (dressed)
RB David Montgomery
RB Jahmyr Gibbs
RB Jermar Jefferson (injured)
WR Amon-Ra St. Brown
WR Jameson Williams
WR Kalif Raymond
TE Sam LaPorta (injured)
TE Brock Wright
OT Taylor Decker
OT Penei Sewell
G Graham Glasgow
G Kevin Zeitler (injured)
G Christian Mahogany (illness)
C Frank Ragnow
EDGE Aidan Hutchinson
EDGE Marcus Davenport
EDGE John Cominsky (injured)
EDGE James Houston (injured)
DL Levi Onwuzurike
DT DJ Reader (injured)
DT Alim McNeill
DT Kyle Peko
DT David Bada (injured)
LB Alex Anzalone
LB Jack Campbell
LB Derrick Barnes
LB Malcolm Rodriguez (injured)
CB Terrion Arnold (injured)
CB Carlton Davis (injured)
CB Emmanuel Moseley (injured)
CB Ennis Rakestraw (injured)
DB Brian Branch (injured)
S Kerby Joseph
Offense
Quarterbacks
Hendon Hooker: 40 (52% of snaps)
Nate Sudfeld: 37 (48%)
While it was mildly surprising to see Nate Sudfeld kick things off against the Chiefs starters, it’s not surprising to see the two split the game in half. It will be interesting to see if Detroit gives Hooker the opportunity to start in the team’s preseason finale.
Running backs
Jake Funk: 29 (38%) — 3 special teams snaps (9%)
Sione Vaki: 26 (34%) — 10 (31%)
Zonovan Knight: 14 (18%) — 7 (22%)
Craig Reynolds: 8 (10%) — 4 (12%)
Unsurprisingly, it was a short night for Craig Reynolds, who seemingly has the RB3 role down. That said, Sione Vaki got a bunch of valuable work on offense and special teams, and continues to justify time on the field. He still needs growth as a runner, but he’s finding all sorts of other ways to contribute.
Zonovan Knight was up next in the progression and had a strong night filling in for Jermar Jefferson (eight rushes, 36 yards). Even Jake Funk made some solid plays in the game, showcasing Detroit’s depth at running back.
Tight ends
James Mitchell: 30 (39%) — 12 (38%)
Sean McKeon: 27 (35%) — 4 (12%)
Shane Zylstra: 23 (30%) — 9 (28%)
Parker Hesse: 23 (30%) — 9 (28%)
Hesse may have gotten the fewest reps and played the latest into the game, but remains the only tight end to get snaps at fullback.
The rest of the crew saw a near-even split in reps, with Zylstra and Mitchell seeing the majority of the first half action.
Wide receivers
Isaiah Williams: 36 (47%) — 6 (19%)
Donovan Peoples-Jones: 33 (43%) — 5 (16%)
Kaden Davis: 32 (42%) — 9 (28%)
Maurice Alexander: 31 (40%)
Daurice Fountain: 27 (35%) — 8 (25%)
Tom Kennedy: 17 (22%)
Jalon Calhoun 17 (22%) — 2 (6%)
Tre’Quan Smith: 9 (12%)
The first-team receivers for Saturday were Kaden Davis, Donovan Peoples-Jones, and Tom Kennedy. Davis took advantage with a 61-yard touchdown catch, but outside of that, the trio combined for just five catches for 39 yards.
Isaiah Williams subbed in for Kennedy early and found production both in the first half (two catches, 22 yards) and the second half (four catches, 49 yards).
It’s not a good sign for Daurice Fountain that he has slid down the depth chart, and it’s even worse news for Tre’Quan Smith, who—per Dan Campbell—suffered a hand injury that could keep him out for some time.
Offensive tackles
Colby Sorsdal: 77 (100%) — 5 (16%)
Giovanni Manu: 40 (52%) — 5 (16%)
Jamarco Jones: 29 (38%)
Dan Skipper: 8 (10%)
After losing Connor Galvin last week, it’s not all that surprising to see the Lions give Colby Sorsdal every single right tackle rep against the Chiefs. It was an up-and-down performance for Sorsdal, but the experience is extremely valuable for a player Detroit may need to rely upon.
Speaking of valuable experience, Manu got the entire second half to help him develop, while the first half was split between Skipper and the newly-added Jones.
Guards/centers
Jake Burton: 40 (52%) — 5 (16%)
Duke Clemens: 40 (52%) — 3 (9%)
Bryan Hudson: 40 (52%) — 2 (6%)
Kayode Awosika: 37 (48%) — 5 (16%)
Kingsley Eguakun: 37 (48%) — 2 (6%)
Michael Niese: 37 (48%) — 3 (9%)
A pretty clear split for the interior offensive linemen.
The first half consisted of:
LG Kayode Awosika
C Kingsley Eguakun
RG Michael Niese
The second half was:
LG Duke Clemens
C Bryan Hudson
RG Jake Burton
Those players stayed at those spots for their entire half.
Defense
EDGE:
Isaac Ukwu: 47 (78%)
Mitchell Agude: 32 (53%) — 10 (31%)
Matthieu Betts: 30 (50%) — 10 (31%)
Josh Paschal: 29 (48%)
Pat O’Connor: 26 (43%) — 5 (16%)
With no James Houston and last week’s injury to Nate Lynn, it was a huge opportunity for Detroit’s depth edge players to make a difference. Ukwu saw the most time, despite briefly leaving with an injury. Agude, Betts, and Paschal all made a few plays each, while, unfortunately, the same can’t be said of O’Connor.
It was interesting to see Paschal out there in the fourth quarter of a preseason game, but after sitting out the opener and dealing with an injury last week, he could certainly use the reps, particularly when Detroit is a little thin on the defensive line.
DT:
Chris Smith: 33 (55%)
Mekhi Wingo: 30 (50%) — 5 (16%)
Brodric Martin: 30 (50%) — 5 (16%)
As the Lions continue to rest Onwuzurike, McNeill, and Peko, it offered a ton of playing time for Detroit’s young interior defenders. All three defenders appeared to get time in both halves.
Linebackers
Ty Summers: 39 (65%) — 12 (38%)
Ben Niemann: 29 (48%) — 15 (47%)
Abraham Beauplan: 27 (45%) — 2 (6%)
Jalen Reeves-Maybin: 18 (30%) — 7 (22%)
Malik Jefferson: 7 (12%) — 12 (38%)
Niemann and Reeves-Maybin started the game for Detroit, and when Maybin’s day was done, it was Summers who got the first opportunity at the WILL spot. Summers has a ton of special teams experience, so don’t be surprised if he hangs around on the practice squad.
Abraham Beauplan and Malik Jefferson were likely the plan to finish out the game, but Jefferson suffered a finger injury (Campbell was not concerned with it) that had him leave after a short stint.
Cornerbacks
Kindle Vildor: 38 (63%) — 9 (28%)
Khalil Dorsey: 38 (63%) — 4 (12%)
Amik Robertson: 28 (47%) — 10 (31%)
Steven Gilmore: 22 (37%) — 11 (34%)
Loren Strickland: 22 (37%) — 14 (44%)
Javelin Guidry: 13 (22%) — 7 (22%)
Essang Bassey: 9 (15%) — 12 (38%)
Vildor, Dorsey, and Robertson played for the entire first half and got some very decent play in against the Chiefs’ first and second-stringers.
In the second half, Gilmore held down one of the outside spots, Strickland played nickel, and Guidry and Bassey essentially split the other outside corner job.
Strickland has quietly expanded his role from safety to nickel corner, and he picked up another tackle for loss on Saturday. Though it’s hard to see him make a crowded secondary, don’t count him out completely.
Safety
Brandon Joseph: 38 (63%) — 13 (41%)
Ifeatu Melifonwu: 38 (63%) — 10 (31%)
C.J. Moore: 20 (33%) — 16 (50%)
Chelen Garnes: 17 (28%) — 3 (9%)
Joseph and Melifonwu helped lock down the Chiefs offense in the first half, while Moore and Garnes were mostly the second-half safeties. Unsurprisingly, no player had more special teams snaps than Moore. That’s his only path to the roster at this point because he’s been usurped defensively by Brandon Joseph.
Special teams
Jake Bates: 11 (34%)
Jack Fox: 9 (28%)
Hogan Hatten: 5 (16%)
Scott Daly: 4 (12%)
Interestingly, Hatten got the first half long snaps, while Daly got the ones in the second half. I thought the Lions would consider putting Hatten in for the game-winning field goal because Campbell specifically said he wanted to see him in high-pressure situations. But Daly did the job and helped Detroit seal the victory.