Tag: Dan Skipper

Watch: Dan Skipper, indeed eligible this time, scores against Bills

Watch: Lions OL Dan Skipper scores receiving TD against Bills after reporting as eligible

This time, it counts. Lions offensive tackle Dan Skipper was, in fact, deemed an eligible receiver and got himself a touchdown during the second quarter against the Buffalo Bills.

Skipper was thought to have reported as eligible on a two-point conversion attempt last season against the Dallas Cowboys but was deemed to have not reported. This time, all is right in the world.

The touchdown pulled the Lions to within 21-14 in the second quarter.

Skipper joins Taylor Decker and Scott Conover as offensive linemen to score a touchdown for the Lions.

All 6-foot-9, 330 pounds of Dan Skipper catches TD pass for Lions

A big man touchdown for Lions offensive lineman Dan Skippper

The CBS broadcast explained all the different risky plays Dan Campbell had taken for the Detroit Lions since 2021. A few players later, the coach and OC Ben Johnson went to a trick play and had a touchdown.

Offensive lineman Ben Skipper, 6-foot-9, 330 pounds, lined up at tight end as an eligible receiver. He blocked, ran a short route and Jared Goff rolled out and saw his huge target wide open.

Skipper caught the pass like he was Amon-Ra St. Brown and rumbled into the end zone. After the PAT, the Lions trailed 21-14.

It was Skipper’s 54th career game and his first career touchdown.

Getting Taylor Decker back should help the Lions run game

Getting LT Taylor Decker back after missing two games should help the Detroit Lions rushing attack in Week 15 against the Buffalo Bills

Taylor Decker was back as a full participant in Wednesday’s Detroit Lions practice. That’s a very welcome sight as the Lions prepare for Sunday’s showdown against the Buffalo Bills in Ford Field.

Decker, the Lions’ starting left tackle, has missed the last two games after suffering a knee injury in the Week 12 win in Indianapolis. Dan Skipper has filled in capably as Decker’s replacement, but there’s a noticeable difference in Detroit’s offense when Decker isn’t on the field. It’s most evident in the run game, specifically Jahmyr Gibbs and also the inside runs.

Gibbs was still able to hit a couple of home runs in the Thanksgiving win over the Bears, but nearly all of his success came to the right side of the line, following Kevin Zeitler and Penei Sewell. On three carries to the left of center Frank Ragnow, Gibbs netted a total of 11 yards. A week later against Green Bay, Gibbs had his worst game of the season, netting 43 yards on 15 carries. Anything between the tackles was quickly snuffed out, as the combination of Skipper and left guard Graham Glasgow really struggled to complete their run-blocking assignments.

Green Bay’s defensive front deserves some credit for that, but Decker’s physical presence and savvy were missed, too. His quickness off the snap and readiness at the point of attack just isn’t there with Skipper, and it appears to impact Glasgow’s effectiveness, too.

David Mongtomery has also suffered when Decker hasn’t played. When Decker missed the win over Houston, Montgomery had a season-worst 32 yards on 12 carries. That game was Detroit’s worst rushing grade from Pro Football Focus in 2024, and Decker’s absence was not coincidental.

The Lions have been utilizing zone running concepts more than in prior years under Ben Johnson as the offensive coordinator and Hank Fraley as the offensive line coach. That shift from being more gap and duo-dominant has suited Decker very well. No. 68 carries his power well in zone, and his vision and engagement balance in zone blocks, which focus more on blocking a spot than a specific player, greatly exceeds what Skipper offers.

Getting Decker back also shifts Skipper into his familiar 6th lineman role, where the giant veteran might be the NFL’s best. The Lions haven’t used the sixth OL much with Decker out and Skipper at LT; Detroit went “heavy” three times (all practice squad elevation Jamarco Jones) on Thanksgiving and didn’t use that package once against Green Bay. With Decker back, it opens up that portion of the playbook for Johnson & Co. against the Bills.

Provided Decker remains a full participant and carries nothing worse than a questionable designation for Sunday’s game against Buffalo, the Lions run offense is poised for a more diverse, bigger game in Week 15.

Lions snap count notes: Dan Campbell rode his starters heavily vs. Texans

Lions snap count notes: Dan Campbell rode his starters heavily in the Week 10 win over the Houston Texans

Injuries across the Detroit Lions roster forced head coach Dan Campbell to ask a lot of his healthy regular starters, and also more than expected from several reserves. It wasn’t always pretty of confidence-inducing, but the Lions delivered in a thrilling 26-23 comeback win.

The snap counts from Detroit’s Week 10 trip to Houston reveal just how strapped for healthy bodies the Lions were in a few spots. It starts on the defense.

Nine defensive starters played at least 58 of the 68 snaps in the game. That includes five iron men:

Safeties Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch
Linebackers Alex Anzalone and Jack Campbell
Cornerback Terrion Arnold

Cornerback Carlton Davis missed three plays after leaving briefly with a minor injury.

Linemen Josh Paschal, Alim McNeill and Levi Onwuzurike all played an absurd amount of snaps for big men thanks to the myriad injuries around them. Paschal was on the field for 61 snaps, with McNeill at 59 and Onwuzurike at 58. That’s over 85 percent for each.

In the third LB vs. third CB snap rate–the Lions almost always have one or the other, but not both, on the field–SAM Trevor Nowaske played more than nickel/slot Amik Robertson, 33 to 29.

The Lions only used No. 4 CB Kindle Vildor on three plays–the ones Davis sat out. No other corners played beyond special teams. Joseph and Branch were the only safeties who played. Reserve Brandon Joseph only played on special teams, while rookie Loren Strickland was inactive in Week 10.

On offense, the starting line and QB Jared Goff all played all 65 snaps. Veteran Dan Skipper got the nod at left tackle with Taylor Decker inactive due to a shoulder injury.

Jamarco Jones made his Lions debut with one official snap as an extra tackle (Skipper’s normal role), though he had two other plays that were negated due to penalties. No other linemen played outside of special teams.

The ever-popular running back splits saw Jahmyr Gibbs getting 60 percent of the workload to David Montgomery’s 40 percent. The Lions had one or the other in on every snap, but never played more than one. Gibbs and Montgomery were the only RBs who played on offense, with Craig Reynolds and Sione Vaki very busy on special teams.

Jameson Williams returned from his two-game suspension and quickly resumed his WR2 role. He played 48 of the 65 offensive snaps, followed by Tim Patrick (32), Kalif Raymond (16) and Allen Robinson (4). Third TE Shane Zylstra got 19 snaps, behind Sam LaPorta (39) and Brock Wright (37), showing the Lions’ need for auxiliary blocking with Decker sidelined.

Lions options for replacing injured Taylor Decker vs the Texans

The Detroit Lions options for replacing injured Taylor Decker vs the Texans if the veteran LT can’t play

The Detroit Lions appear poised to overcome some more injury-related adversity in the team’s Week 10 trip to Houston. Left tackle Taylor Decker is unlikely to play for Detroit in the Sunday night game after not practicing all week with a shoulder injury.

“I don’t see him practicing today,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said of Decker in his Friday morning press conference. “It’s about how he heals up. I don’t feel like this is something major, but we need to really see how he feels overthe next 48 hours.”

That’s not a promising sign for Decker’s availability against the Texans. If Decker is indeed out, the Lions lose a bedrock starter at left tackle for a game against one of the more aggressive defenses in the league.

Any Decker absence would require some serious scrambling for the Lions offensive line. With both starting guards, Graham Glasgow and Kevin Zeitler, being exclusively interior players, that means one of the depth tackles would get the nod.

Moving Penei Sewell from right to left

Switching All-Pro right tackle Penei Sewell from his normal side to the left is one potential solution. It’s what the Lions did in Weeks 2 and 3 of the 2023 season when Decker was sidelined.

It’s not a perfect solution. Sewell had two of his three lowest-graded games of his career by PFF while playing at left tackle. He hasn’t taken a known practice rep on the left side since the summer of 2022 other than those weeks, as well.

The Lions would need to decide if it’s worth getting weaker at right tackle by moving Sewell to the left side, where he hasn’t been as effective. Especially in run blocking, the Lions lean heavily on Sewell being the best right tackle in the league.

Dan Skipper

Typically the Lions extra tackle and 6th lineman in heavy formations, Skipper has been the only other tackle active on game days for the vast majority of the season. His preseason and training camp playing left tackle specifically was a mixed bag.

The 6-foot-9 Skipper tends to play too tall in pass protection, a real issue against more athletic and smaller pass rushers. That’s not a major issue against Houston, which tends to play bigger ends outside of Will Anderson — whose status for Sunday is up in the air due to injury, too.

Interestingly, Skipper has performed better at right tackle than left throughout his career in preseason and brief opportunities in the regular season. If Sewell kicks to the left side, Skipper’s relative struggles on the right side could be exacerbated.

Colby Sorsdal

Now in his second season, Sorsdal has been a healthy scratch most of 2024 and has only played on special teams when active. The 2023 fifth-round pick repped exclusively at right tackle in training camp and preseason, stepping in when Sewell needed rest or else repping with the second- and third-team offenses.

Sorsdal did not have an encouraging summer, consistently struggling with the speed of the Lions defense in practices and the speed of the game in preseason matchups against Pittsburgh and Kansas City. Simply out of familiarity with the right side, Sorsdal would likely be the starting option there if Sewell flips sides.

Jamarco Jones

The veteran Jones is on the Lions practice squad after joining the team in preseason. He played well at left tackle in the exhibition matchup against the Chiefs and does have some limited NFL regular-season experience starting on the left side, though he’s primarily played right guard in his stops with the Seahawks and Titans.

Jones also has some live-game experience playing as an extra tackle, which could come in handy if Skipper is required to play as a starter. If he avoids penalties, which has been a struggle for him going back to his college days, Jones is the most effective pass blocker of the reserve options.

Giovanni Manu

Manu was drafted in the fourth round with the implicit knowledge that he was not ready, nor would be ready to play in 2024. That’s been made clear by multiple coaching comments.

The giant Canadian collegian has been a healthy scratch all season and was one of PFF’s lowest-graded pass blockers in the preseason. Those low grades passed the eye/sniff test based on the very technically raw Manu from what we witnessed in practices, too. He should be considered an emergency-option only.

 

Lions vs Vikings: Final injury report and medical analysis

Lions vs Vikings: Final injury report and medical analysis via Dr. Liao

For the Lions, the active roster is mostly healthy, but there was a downgrade over the week in Kevin Zeitler.

The Vikings look to be missing some important players, but they got upgrades over the course of the week in Harrison Phillips and Patrick Jones.

DETROIT LIONS

Carlton Davis, CB (NP NP FP – Questionable) quad

Davis left the game after getting a cleat to the head early in the 3rd quarter. I reviewed all his plays prior and didn’t see any signs of a quad issue which bodes well for this Sunday. Add in the Friday FP and he is likely to play with no limitations.

Kevin Zeitler, OG (NP LP NP – Questionable) groin

Zeitler hurt himself in practice this week and the Friday NP means he’s likely out for Sunday. Early signs are good though that this shouldn’t be anything long-term.

If Zeitler can’t go, there shouldn’t be much of a drop-off as Kayode Awosika has been a very solid OG backup the past two years.

Hopefully, Zeitler does not have a hip joint issue as that could be a long-term concern. More likely, it’s a mild hip flexor or hip adductor muscle strain which can cause groin pain.

Brian Branch, S (LP FP FP – IN) knee

Branch landed hard on his knee during his interception return early in the 4th quarter. He played the first two plays of the next drive without obvious issues, but then was replaced by Brandon Joseph the rest of garbage time. The 2x FP is reassuring that there is no ligament/cartilage damage and more likely is just a benign contusion.

Dan Skipper, OT (NP FP FP – IN) ribs

Skipper hurt his right lower ribs in game three vs the Cardinals but hasn’t missed a game. He was wearing a visible protective pad on that right side during the Cowboys game which means the rib isn’t fully healed yet.

He will play vs the Vikings as he hopes to bounce back from his zero-catch performance.

Frank Ragnow, C (NP FP FP – IN) rest

Good to see that Ragnow’s pec is not on the report. He strained his left pec 3.5 weeks ago and the Cowboys game was his first game back.

Christian Mahogany, OG (FP FP FP – OUT) illness

After a bout of mono starting in July, this 6th-round rookie started practicing again on Tuesday October 8. From a physical standpoint, the mono likely has not been an issue for about two months. Because the Lions don’t need him now, I expect him to max out the full 21-day practice window and be put on the roster around October 29.

NOTABLES

Aidan Hutchinson was placed on IR with a left tib/fib fracture. Expect him back in limited fashion for the Super Bowl.

Kyle Peko was placed on IR with left pec surgery. He is out for the year.

Brodric Martin, who had a right knee hyperextension on August 24, has not started his 21-day practice window yet. Hopefully, that will happen next week.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS

Blake Cashman, LB (NP NP NP – OUT) toe

A turf toe issue will keep this important LB out. He had played 100% of snaps the past two games.

Aaron Jones, RB (NP LP LP – Questionable) hamstring

Jones hurt his leg two weeks ago. With an NP early and no FP’s, he’s likely out vs the Lions. The Vikings just traded for Cam Akers this week so expect to see him.

Harrison Phillips, DT (NP LP FP – Questionable) shoulder

This starting nose tackle would be a big loss in the middle, but the FP hints he’ll play.

Patrick Jones, DE (NP LP FP – Questionable) shoulder

Jones has five sacks on the year so his loss could be impactful, but the FP means he’s likely in.

TJ Hockenson, TE (LP LP LP – Questionable) knee

Hockenson reportedly won’t be ready to play this week coming off his ACL suffered against the Lions last year.

Akayleb Evans, CB (NP NP NP – OUT) hip

Evans is a special teamer who hasn’t played on defense in the past four games.

Dalton Risner, OG (LP LP LP – Questionable) back

Risner has yet to play this year due to injury. The lack of an FP means he’s likely still out.

The full report:

Ben Johnson says Lions still have more tricks up their sleeve after Dallas game

Ben Johnson says Lions still have more tricks up their sleeve after Dallas game

The Lions dominated the Dallas Cowboys Sunday by a score of 47-9. That game included a touchdown that came from offensive coordinator Ben Johnson’s bag of tricks.

The play started with WR Amon-Ra St. Brown in motion. Quarterback Jared Goff took the snap, then handed off to RB David Montgomery. Monty then handed off to St. Brown who tossed it back to Goff. Goff then launched deep and found TE Sam LaPorta for a 52-yard score that helped give the Lions a 17-3 lead early in the second quarter.

You might think the bag is empty for the Lions and Johnson, but as Lee Corso would say, “Not so fast, my friend.”

“Oh yeah,” Johnson said when asked if there are trick plays from games they did not use. “Each and every week we stock up, and so that’s been constant. It just so happened last week that we wanted to unload them.”

That was just one of a handful of trick plays the Lions tried against the Cowboys. They also tried throwing a pass to OT Taylor Decker, ran a hook a ladder to OT Penei Sewell and had OT Dan Skipper run routes as a wide receiver.

Johnson had this to say about preparing all those trick plays: “It was one of the things that we talked about last week, what is our identity, and one of those three was being detailed, and that’s something springtime, training camp, up until now that we are very demanding out of our players. Really every position group and so when we are like that, you get into a game week, and we have more volume, or we have nuances that maybe we don’t get a ton of reps on. They have to decipher it and handle it, and they do a great job of it. That combined with some of them are for premier looks and if we don’t get that look, we get out of it. I mean, go back a couple weeks ago when we called the pass to Jared (Goff), I want to say Houston ran the same play but it wasn’t quite a premier look in my opinion, and so – I think (Texans WR) Stefon Diggs had to run for the touchdown when they did it. So, we do have some elements of that where we have to get the right look. We’re not just calling plays to call plays because we think they look cool. It’s really by design and intent and then our guys carry it the rest of the way.”

The Lions tried using Decker as an eligible receiver during last year’s meeting in Dallas, but according to the officials, Decker never reported as eligible, wiping out the two-point conversion attempt. Detroit got their revenge and then some. And while those plays are now on film, Johnson is not worried.

“This game’s been around for a long time and our challenge as a coaching staff,” Johnson said. “And I say it to the offensive staff quite a bit, is we can run a million different types of plays and because of that, I don’t like to run the same one twice. I don’t like to do it within a game, I don’t like to do it within a season. We certainly do have some staples that I will repeat at times, but we’re charged with let’s have a little creativity. Defenses, they’re doing their film study, they’re looking at things, they’re finding, ‘Hey out of this formation, they’re doing this, that and the other.’ And we try to mix it up. So, from that regard, I’m not worried about putting things on tape. If anything else, it’s just going to help set up the next thing down the road, and yeah, the well is deep in terms of the thoughts.”

The Lions could very well break out another fun play this week in what is now a huge divisional game against the 5-0 Minnesota Vikings for first place in the NFC North.

Lions injury videos from the Cardinals game

Breaking down when the Lions injuries occurred and how they happened in the Week 3 win in Arizona

Unfortunately, the Lions suffered many injuries in the Cardinals game. Some were obvious at the time, some were not. Credit the players for battling through.

Here are the injury videos in chronological order. The initial injury report won’t be out until Thursday, so we’ll get more clarity then and hopefully won’t have any more surprises.

Dan Skipper 1q 14:16 right torso

Skipper might have landed on the defender’s elbow which could have caused a rib or torso contusion/strain. He was able to finish the game.

Terrion Arnold 1q 6:07 right knee

Hopefully, this is just a simple knee contusion but a mild sprain is possible. Arnold returned to the game and played well.

Ragnow 1q 1:51 left pec strain

Ragnow finished the game and was wearing a brace in the second half. See my article for more details about his outlook. 

Derrick Barnes 2q 12:07 right knee

Barnes left the game and has been placed on IR. Video suggests it could be an MCL sprain.

Sam LaPorta 2q 00:29 right low ankle sprain

Good chance LaPorta will be available on Monday but ankle won’t be fully healed.

Alim McNeill 2q 00:17 shoulder

McNeill might have hurt his left AC joint when he landed on the ground. Dan Campbell called it day-to-day.

Marcus Davenport 3q 6:45 left elbow

Video showed Davenport’s forearm getting chopped down while his elbow was in flexion. This could cause an elbow flexor tendon tear of the biceps or brachialis. He continued to try to play with an elbow brace but was hampered. He has been placed on IR and reportedly is out for the season.

Brian Branch 4q 6:06 concussion

Hopefully, we see Branch have a limited practice on Thursday but taking a game off might be a good idea.

Lions injury breakdown: Dan Skipper makes the 53-man roster with high ankle sprain

Lions injury breakdown: Dan Skipper makes the 53-man roster with high ankle sprain. What is his injury outlook?

Dan Skipper, the NFL’s “most eligible” offensive lineman, has made the initial 53-man roster. He was not one of the 2 players (Moseley, Martin) placed on the “designated-to-return” injured reserve list. Note that rosters are subject to change and he could be placed on I.R. at any time. Skipper is currently recovering from an injury suffered during the Lions 2nd preseason game.

MEDICAL HISTORY

August 17, 2024: Skipper appears to sprain both high ankles on the same play during the Lions 2nd preseason game vs the Chiefs.

Skipper got rolled up on, thus trapping both ankles in external rotation, which is the mechanism of a high ankle sprain. He finished the drive but was limping toward the end of the drive. He never returned to the game, although this may have been precautionary with it being a preseason game.

The ankle sprain is likely of mild severity based on the following:
-Video evidence did not show a severe deformity.
-Continued to play in the game.
-Dan Campbell after the game stated it was a “minor” ankle

SUSPECTED DIAGNOSIS

High ankle sprain – left, right, or both. Mild severity.

PROGNOSIS

-A mild high ankle can sideline a player for 2-4 weeks.
-For comparison, 2 offensive linemen for the Lions last year had similar injuries.

-Taylor Decker was hurt in week 1, finished the game, but missed the next 2 games.

-Jonah Jackson was hurt in Week 5, finished the game, but missed the next 3 games.

OUTLOOK

Expect Skipper to be available within the first 2 weeks of the season. With the season opener being 3 weeks from the date of injury, there is a decent chance Skipper will be ready for game 1. As always, return to play depends on many factors, including the severity of the injury, ability to play through the injury, player importance to the team, and game importance. No long-term issues are expected.

Video: Breaking down the Lions offensive line depth chart ahead of training camp

Video: Breaking down the Lions offensive line depth chart and potential ahead of training camp

The latest in the series of Detroit Lions positional breakdowns is now available to watch and stream. Recorded via the Detroit Lions Podcast, this edition goes over the offensive line room as it stands heading into training camp.

From the excellent starting five, which many feel is the best in the league, through the veteran depth and the rookies, this one covers coach Hank Fraley’s unit. What is in line for rookies Christian Mahogany and Giovanni Manu? Can a newcomer like Netane Muti seize a reserve spot over a holdover like Kayode Awosika? What’s the backup plan behind All-Pro center Frank Ragnow?

All that and more in this video, which I recorded during the week.

An audio-only version of the show is available from your favorite podcast provider.

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