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The Detroit Lions and Buffalo Bills are set to square off in a big early season matchup.
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After both teams came through with close wins in their respective season-openers, they will now match wits in front of a national audience Thursday. For the Lions’ it’s a chance to make a statement about their contention hopes with a marquee win over a good opponent.
Here’s a look at the Lions’ depth chart prior to the Week 2 game against the Buffalo Bills. Because practice squad elevations have not been announced as of publication, all practice squad options are included.
Quarterback
Starter: Jared Goff
Backup: Joshua Dobbs
Practice squad: Luke Altmyer
Goff is looking to have a more consistent showing in his second game of the season. While he did not perform poorly, the offense left some plays on the field particularly due to drops. As a result, the team will be looking for the veteran passer to be in a better rhythm early in the game.
Running back
Starter: Jahmyr Gibbs
Backup: Sione Vaki
Reserve: Jacob Saylors
Practice squad: Jabari Small
Injured: Isiah Pacheco (Injured reserve)
The Lions made it clear that they are unafraid to put the ball in Gibbs’ hands as often as possible, as he finished with 34 touches in the season-opener. Ideally, they could find a second option who is consistent that can take some of that workload off his shoulders.
Vaki’s usage in Sunday’s game suggests that he’s next in line, but he showed some shortcomings in pass-protection that raise concerns. In the event of an injury to their starter, it would likely be Vaki who gets the bulk of the work.
Wide receiver
Starters: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Isaac TeSlaa
Backups: Tom Kennedy, Tay Martin
Practice squad: Dominic Lovett, Lucky Jackson
Injured: Kendrick Law (Injured reserve)
Williams and TeSlaa are likely going to be targeted early in an effort to bounce back from quiet performances in Week 1. While Williams still managed four receptions for 45 yards, he had multiple key drops that prevented him from having a much bigger day.
TeSlaa, meanwhile, didn’t have a catch on just one target throughout the game. The offense would benefit from getting him involved, and as a result they may likely try to find ways to get the ball in his hands early.
Tight end
Starter: Sam LaPorta
Backup: Brock Wright
Reserve: Tyler Conklin, Jackson Meeks
Practice Squad: Thomas Gordon
The hierarchy seems established at this position. LaPorta had a solid game in his return from injury, while Wright offers a reliable option for two tight end sets. Conklin was utilized in a small role for blocking purposes, but offers pass-catching as well.
Meeks, meanwhile, handled his work on special teams and could factor into the equation should a player ahead of him go down.
Tackle
Starters: Penei Sewell (left), Larry Borom (right)
Practice squad: Devin Cochran
Injured: Blake Miller (Out, Knee), Giovanni Manu (Non-Football Injury)
Borom is set to make his first start as a Lion barring anything unforseen after Miller was ruled out with a knee injury. While Miller’s first start was encouraging, the Lions will have to proceed without their first-round pick on a short week.
Detroit signed Borom in the offseason to compete for the right tackle job with Miller, and while he didn’t win it, he does provide value as an experienced veteran with 38 starts in his career. Cochran could be an elevation option to provide the group with some depth.
Guard
Starters: Ben Bartch (left), Tate Ratledge (right)
Backup: Miles Frazier
Practice squad: Elijah Klein, Mason Miller (Injured)
Injured: Christian Mahogany (Out, Hip)
Mahogany is out for Thursday’s game, meaning Bartch is likely set to start for the first time as a Lion. Bartch played 66 snaps and performed well, aside from a critical holding penalty in the fourth quarter.
Behind him, Klein is a former Tampa Bay Buccaneer who may merit an elevation this week to provide the group with some depth. Mason Miller could’ve also been an option, but he’s currently on the practice squad injury list.
Center
Starter: Juice Scruggs
Backup: Ratledge
Practice squad: Seth McLaughlin
Injured: Cade Mays (Injured reserve)
Scruggs will make another start, with Ratledge expected to serve as the emergency backup. If the Lions feel better about Frazier than Klein, perhaps McLaughlin is a candidate to be elevated to the active roster to provide depth this week.
Scruggs played well in his Lions debut, as he was one of the team’s top-performing offensive players per Pro Football Focus. His job is to simply be consistent until Mays returns, which he’s eligible to do after Week 4.
Interior defensive line
Starters: Alim McNeill, Tyleik Williams
Backups: Skyler Gill-Howard, Mekhi Wingo
Practice squad: Levi Onwuzurike, Ben Stille (two elevations remaining), Chris Smith
The Lions elevated Stille to give them some depth last week, and could do the same with any of their options on the practice squad for Thursday’s game. Gill-Howard played a bigger role with 47 snaps in his debut than many expected, which is an exciting development.
Detroit appears to be content rotating Williams and Gill-Howard situationally, with Gill-Howard serving as the pass-rush option and Williams as the run-stuffer.
EDGE
Starters: Aidan Hutchinson, D.J. Wonnum
Backups: Tyler Lacy, Derrick Moore
Reserves: Eric O’Neill, Ahmed Hassanein
Practicesquad: Anthony Lucas
Injured: Payton Turner (Injured reserve)
Detroit mostly rotated the trio of Hutchinson, Wonnum and Moore as the EDGE, with Lacy serving as the big-end opposite of them. Hassanein could also play that role, but he was a scratch for the season-opener and has still yet to make his debut in a regular season game.
It’s apparent why O’Neill was kept active, as he was phenomenal on special teams throughout the Week 1 win.
Linebacker
Starters: Jack Campbell (MIKE), Derrick Barnes (SAM), Devin White (WILL)
Backups: Malcolm Rodriguez, Trevor Nowaske, Joe Bachie
Reserve: Jimmy Rolder
Practicesquad: Amen Ogbongbemiga
Injured: Damone Clark (Injured reserve)
The Lions have some solid depth at linebacker, and that was made apparent in their win over the Saints. Derrick Barnes had a phenomenal game, headlined by an interception and a sack, and appears to have versatility beyond just the SAM linebacker spot.
Detroit is also content to rotate White, Rodriguez and even Nowaske in their third linebacker spot. Rolder was an inactive last week, which could be related to his injury dating back to training camp or even the fact that Bachie is likely a better special teams option at this point.
Cornerback
Starters: D.J. Reed (Questionable, Foot), Rock Ya-Sin, Roger McCreary (nickel)
Backups: Keith Abney II, Khalil Dorsey, Ennis Rakestraw
Practice squad: Natrone Brooks, Nick Whiteside
The secondary was under a microscope after a tough showing in the second-half against the Saints. One player who helped their respective case was McCreary, who had a strip sack in the third quarter.
Elsewhere, Rakestraw was a bit of a surprise inactive for the Lions on Sunday, as he was passed over by Abney and Dorsey. Abney got 17 snaps in his debut, while Dorsey is one of the team’s best special teams performers dating back multiple seasons.
Safety
Starters: Chuck Clark, Avonte Maddox
Backups: Thomas Harper, Christian Izien
Practice squad: Aamaris Brown
Injured: Brian Branch (PUP), Kerby Joseph (PUP)
Izien appears to be trending closer to playing after missing the opener with a groin injury. Clark and Maddox had decent showings against the Saints aside from the fourth-quarter where Tyler Shough decimated the defense. Clark had an interception, picking up where Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph left off prior to their injuries.
Specialists
Kicker: Jake Bates
Punter: Jack Fox
Long-snapper: Hogan Hatten
Kick returner: Jacob Saylors, Tom Kennedy
Punt returner: Tom Kennedy
No changes on the special teams front, as Kennedy handled punts and teamed up with Saylors to handle kickoffs. It was a near-disaster on the first kickoff, as Kennedy muffled a squib kick, but other than that there were no issues for the group. Tay Martin was one of the biggest standouts on coverage units, making three tackles.
Today’s best reads
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/lions/onsi as Detroit Lions Week 2 Updated Depth Chart Against Bills.
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