With a busy first two weeks of free agency, the addition of Tony McRae may have flown a bit under the radar but his presence could shake up the back end of the Detroit Lions 2020 roster more than originally thought.
McRae will be listed as a nickelback on the roster but his true value comes on special teams. Over the last three seasons in Cincinnati, McRae learned the nuances of how to be a gunner under new Lions’ special teams coordinator Brayden Coombs, a role he is surely expected to take on this season.
The competition
To get a better idea of how McRae will fit on the Lions special teams unit, let’s take a look at who held down the gunner roles last season.
In 2019, the Lions used a rotation of Dee Virgin (cornerback), C.J. Moore (safety) and Mike Ford (cornerback) to fill the two gunner spots — all three are under contract with the Lions in 2020.
The Lions punted 77 times last year and used Virgin as a gunner on 91-percent of those snaps, Moore saw 90-percent, while Ford cleaned up the remaining 19-percent. Meanwhile, in Cincinnati, McRae saw 73-percent of the Bengals gunner snaps, missing some time due to injury.
All four players have plenty of experience starting at the gunner position, but there isn’t likely room on the final 53-man roster for all of them, which will for quite a battle in training camp.
Examining value
McRae’s nearly three year’s worth of experience with Coombs will surely give him an early advantage, and his ability to contribute on defense (197 snaps in 2019) will also help, but he will still have to earn a starting gunner role.
On the next punt, McRae once again leads with a strong step outside and the blocker hesitates for the cutback. In pic 2, McRae swims over and sheds the stiff arm. 10 yards later, McRae is past him.
They started double teaming him after that. pic.twitter.com/w08XFmoxjL
— Erik Schlitt (@erikschlitt) March 29, 2020
Virgin, who saw the most gunner snaps of this group in 2019, is the most talented of the returning Lions, but, his biggest downfall will be his lack of defensive contributions.
Moore seized the opportunity to earn a starting gunner role after going undrafted last season and when injuries occurred at safety he played on 77 defensive snaps. With offseason additions of safeties Duron Harmon and Jayron Kearse, his role on defense could be minimized in 2020.
Ford has the most experience on defense, playing on 482 defensive snaps over the last two years, even getting a start and stepping up against Kansas City in Week 4 last season. But he has often only been used in a supplemental role at gunner, rather than a weekly contributor.
Projecting the fallout
The Lions will likely be looking for two primary gunners, with a third option on the roster in case of injury or decline in performance.
There is still a lot to prove and we are far from seeing the Lions declare a winner, but based on their performances from last season, the early front runners are likely McRae and Virgin, with Ford penciled in as the insurance option.
Now, this doesn’t mean Moore is out of a job — he is still holding down the fifth safety position, could be the insurance option, or win the job outright — but it also means his position may not be as safe as it was before the addition of McRae.
If Moore is in trouble, it could mean the Lions will be exploring safeties on Day 3 of the draft, hoping to add more depth/competition on both defense and special teams.