As training camp progresses and we start rolling into preseason games, we are starting to see how players may fit into the new-look Detroit Lions scheme. Some players have adapted nicely into the system, and some are still trying to find their footing, either be through injury or other means.
We always hope for some players to show out during this time, be it a feel-good story or a redemption comeback, hoping they can find a way onto the team. One player, in particular, teased us at the beginning of his career with his massive potential, but since then, he has found a hard time staying on the field to prove he belongs on this team.
Da’Shawn Hand was drafted in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL draft by the Lions and almost overnight proved he could deliver the goods as a run defender and pass rusher. He didn’t have the most eye-popping stat his rookie year, 27 tackles and three sacks, but he was disruption on the field where the offense had to account for him on every down.
You ever get have that taste of something so good where it left you craving for more only to find out the place that makes it went out of business? Well, that has been Hand’s career so far.
He showed everyone exactly what he could do on the field and had the highest expectations heading into his sophomore season. Unfortunately for Hand, he dealt with an elbow injury and ankle sprains that would hold him out most of the season. As a result, he would only play three games in 2019, registering only four total tackles on 110 snaps.
Hand’s durability was still raising concerns after dealing with a groin injury that would linger into the season, and everyone could see it clearly affected him. He would end up playing the first part of the season but then landed on injured reserve and only ended up playing one out of the final seven games with ankle and groin injuries.
With a new regime in place, Hand hopes to have a new lease on life and find a place along the defensive line. At first, it wasn’t looking too promising with the drafting of Levi Onwuzurike and Alim McNeill, trading for Michael Brockers, and extending Nick Williams. To say it wasn’t looking too good for Hand at the beginning was an understatement, but lately, that narrative has completely changed.
Onwuzurike, Brockers, Williams, and Hand are vying for that interchangeable defensive lineman role, playing various roles from 0T to 5T along the defensive line. Fortunately for Hand, the latter of three have missed some time in training camp, giving Hand reps he might not have gotten if those three ended up seeing the field, and from reports, he has taken complete advantage of them.
On Thursday’s practice, he got some attention when he got the running back in the backfield and a would-be sack. Friday’s practice is when he put on the jets, lining up everywhere on the defensive line and proved equally effective no matter where he was, either be collapsing the pocket, showing off his pass-rushing moves or winning 1-on-1 matchups in the interior. Then to put the cherry on top of a good week, Hand registered another tackle for loss and a sack during Saturday’s scrimmage.
Hand has been dealt, well, a bad hand when it has come to his health the last couple of years. With only managing 13 games the last two seasons, people were willing to write him off and move on. However, if Hand can stay healthy and continue to learn under Brockers, he might be able to find a role with the Lions this season, heading into a contract year, and rejuvenate his career with some untapped potential.