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 make transactions involving 7 players ahead of Week 10

Lions make transactions involving 7 players ahead of Week 10, including placing Jalen Reeves-Maybin on IR and signing 3 from practice squad

It was a very busy Saturday for the Lions ahead of their trip to Houston to play the Texans in Week 10. Detroit made roster moves involving seven players.

The Lions waived EDGE Isaiah Thomas at the first possible opportunity. Thomas was signed off the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad after Week 6, meaning the Lions had to keep him on the active roster for at least three weeks. That time expired ahead of Week 10, and Thomas’ meager contributions (3 tackles, zero QB hurries) made him expendable.

Detroit also placed linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin on injured reserve. Reeves-Maybin suffered a neck injury suffered in the Week 9 win in Green Bay. He will miss at least the next four games, including Sunday.

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To fill those roster vacancies, the Lions signed three players from the practice squad to the active roster:

TE Shane Zylstra
EDGE Al-Quadin Muhammad
LB Abraham Beauplan

Zylstra was out of practice squad elevations, so his signing was expected after the team waived rookie WR Isaiah Williams during the week. Williams has since been claimed by the Cincinnati Bengals.

In this week’s practice squad elevations, offensive tackle Jamarco Jones and linebacker Ezekiel Turner were promoted to play against Houston. It is the first elevation for each player in 2024.

Lions sign veteran offensive lineman among roster moves

Lions sign veteran offensive lineman Jamarco Jones among roster moves that includes sending two injured players to I.R.

After two players suffered season-ending injuries in the preseason opener in New York, the Detroit Lions added two new players to the training camp roster ahead of Sunday’s practice session.

The Lions signed veteran offensive lineman Jamarco Jones and linebacker Abraham Beauplan to the 90-man roster. They will take the place of injured offensive tackle Connor Galvin and EDGE Nate Lynn, each of whom is now out for the season after the Lions loss to the Giants. Galvin suffered a knee injury while Lynn is lost to a shoulder problem.

Jones, 28, was a fifth-round pick by the Seahawks in the 2018 NFL Draft after a strong career at Ohio State. He’s primarily a right tackle but also has some NFL experience at left guard. Jones hasn’t played since suffering a torn pectoral muscle in the 2022 training camp with the Titans. He’s finished four of his five NFL seasons on the injured reserve, including Jones missing all of his rookie seasons with a severe high-ankle sprain.

Beauplan also has a lengthy injury history of his own. Signed as an undrafted rookie out of Marshall by the Minnesota Vikings in 2023, he was placed on I.R. after the preseason and then waived. He spent the offseason with Minnesota but was waived in late July. He’s a 240-pound off-ball linebacker who was known for his prolific run defense at Marshall.

Giants worked out OT Jamarco Jones

The New York Giants worked out veteran offensive tackle Jamarco Jones in East Rutherford on Thursday.

The New York Giants are incredibly banged up along their offensive line and have been seeking out some healthy bodies. Earlier this week, they signed Justin Pugh to their practice squad but that apparently wasn’t enough.

On Thursday, the team hosted offensive tackle Jamarco Jones for a workout in East Rutherford.

The 27-year-old Jones was a fifth-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks in the 2018 NFL draft. He spent the first four seasons of his career out on the West Coast before spending the 2022 season with the Tennessee Titans.

Jones has appeared in 36 career games with seven starts. He’s taken snaps at four of the five positions along the line over that span — left tackle, right tackle, left guard, and right guard.

Although he spent last season with the Titans, Jones has not taken a regular season snap since 2021 with the Seahawks. That was also when he earned the highest overall Pro Football Focus grade (56.9) of his career.

The Giants did not immediately sign Jones to a contract.

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Giants worked out ex-Titans OL Jamarco Jones

The Giants worked out former Titans OL Jamarco Jones on Thursday.

Former Tennessee Titans offensive lineman Jamarco Jones got a look from the New York Giants on Thursday.

According to the league’s transactions wire, the Giants, a team that is in desperate need of help upfront, worked out the Ohio State product, who was with the Titans for a season-plus before being cut.

But this wasn’t just any old cut — Jones was released after getting kicked out of training camp practice twice in a matter of days for getting into fights with teammates.

First, he got into a scuffle with star defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons that got both ejected from practice. A few days later, linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair got in Jones’ face after the lineman hit fellow linebacker Chance Campbell with a crackback block, leading to Jones being sent to the showers again.

Later in the same day, Tennessee released him.

Before being cut, Jones was in line to win the starting right tackle job in his second season with the team. He was projected to fill in for a suspended Nicholas Petit-Frere.

Jones signed a two-year, $4.8 million deal with Tennessee in 2022 but missed the entire campaign due to injury. He’s capable of playing at guard, also, giving him some versatility.

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Texans worked out former Titans OL Jamarco Jones

This is the first time Jamarco Jones has resurfaced since the Titans released him in early August.

We have a Jamarco Jones sighting: the former Tennessee Titans offensive lineman took part in a workout with the Houston Texans on Tuesday.

According to the league’s transactions wire, Jones worked out for the Texans along with five others, a group that also included former Titans defensive lineman, Bruce Hector. Neither player was signed, though.

As far as I can tell, this is the first time Jones has resurfaced since he was released by the Titans in early August following a pair of practice ejections.

During training camp, Jones got into a spat with defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons first, and then linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair days later after he put a dangerous hit on fellow linebacker, Chance Campbell.

That was the final straw for Jones, who was cut the same day. Prior to his transgressions, Jones was in line to be the team’s starter at right tackle.

Since then, veteran Chris Hubbard has taken over and he played well in his Titans debut in Week 1, posting a 79.2 pass-blocking grade (one pressure, no sacks) and 69.4 run-blocking grade, according to Pro Football Focus.

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Tennessee Titans release former Ohio State offensive lineman

Here’s hoping Jamarco Jones lands on his feet somewhere else. #GoBucks

The Tennessee Titans and former Ohio State offensive tackle Jamarco Jones have parted ways, and it seems to have more to do with conduct than his ability on the field.

After two reported incidents at practice last week that led to Jones being asked to leave early and head coach Mike Vrabel voicing his displeasure, the 6-foot, 4-inch, 293-pounder is no longer with the team.

Jones was competing for significant playing time at right tackle. The position was open because another former Buckeye, Nicholas Petit-Frere, has to serve a six-game suspension because of his violation of the league’s gambling policy. Now, instead of getting a chance to show what he can do with an opportunity that came knocking, Jones will have to hope he will be picked up by another NFL team.

We’ll keep an eye on where Jones could land, but it’s going to be tough this close to the start of the season.

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Mike Vrabel talks Titans releasing Jamarco Jones, what’s next at RT

After practice on Friday, Titans head coach Mike Vrabel spoke about the release of Jamarco Jones and what the plans are at right tackle moving forward.

The Tennessee Titans made a significant move on Thursday when the team released offensive lineman Jamarco Jones, who was considered the favorite for the starting right tackle job while Nicholas Petit-Frere serves his suspension.

The move came just hours after Jones was kicked out of his second practice in the same week for getting into another scuffle with a teammate, which came about after Jones hit linebacker Chance Campbell with a blindside block that fellow linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair rightly didn’t take kindly to.

When asked about the release of Jones after practice on Friday, head coach Mike Vrabel kept it simple:

“I think I’m going to leave it at this: that we all have a responsibility to the team,” Vrabel said, per Paul Kuharsky.

“I think my job is to protect the team, I think the players’ job is to find a way on to that team. So, we’re always going to hold the team in high regard and make sure that everything we do and how we carry ourselves is in the best interest of the team.”

In terms of where the Titans go now at right tackle, Vrabel said the team will continue to rotate guys, and bringing in more players via workouts is also on the table.

While having a little fire can be a good thing, Jones’ actions went well beyond that, and to the point he was putting his own teammates at risk. Vrabel and Co. made the right move.

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Titans’ top-3 candidates for right tackle job with Jamarco Jones gone

A look at the Titans’ top-three candidates for the right tackle job now that Jamarco Jones is gone.

The Tennessee Titans dropped offensive lineman Jamarco Jones like a bad habit and released him on Thursday after he got into yet another spat that led to his being tossed out of practice for the second time this week.

While the move to get rid of the problem child is certainly understandable, it does throw an already uncertain situation into even more turmoil.

That’s because Jones appeared to be the frontrunner for the job, as it seemed he was getting the most first-team reps in practice. Granted, he was a major question mark thanks to a lack of starting experience, but at least we had a handle on who might get the job to temporarily replace Nicholas Petit-Frere.

So, who are the next men up to consider for the starting job? There are three candidates to discuss, and one of them should be considered the favorite, although he’s hardly a lock.

Fans and media react to Titans releasing OL Jamarco Jones

The Titans released OL Jamarco Jones after his involvement in fights over the last couple of practices. Here’s how fans and media reacted.

Tennessee Titans fans were hit with some relatively shocking news on Thursday following the release of offensive lineman Jamarco Jones.

Jones had been right in the thick of two straight days of skirmishes that immediately resulted in him being thrown out of practice, which has now subsequently led to him being thrown off the team completely.

Earlier in the day, head coach Mike Vrabel stated that the undisciplined nature of Jones’ actions is not how he wants to see his football team practicing, and Vrabel’s actions emphatically backed that statement up shortly after.

Unfortunately, the Ohio State product was among those who were legitimately competing for the starting right tackle job as Nicholas Petit-Frere serves his six-game suspension to start the year.

Instead, the veteran lineman chose to waste what could’ve been the perfect opportunity that inevitably would’ve extended his NFL career for many years if he played well in 2023.

Now, Jones will be forced to convince another NFL team to give him another shot despite his injury-riddled and short-tempered tenure in Tennessee.

As you can probably imagine, this news both surprised and disappointed a lot of fans on social media, so let’s take a closer look at some of the online reactions to Thursday’s somewhat shocking news.