Tag: Miles Killebrew

Watch: Brayden Coombs’ special teams block two punts against Vikings

Entering Week 8, the Lions hadn’t blocked a punt since 2007. Over the last two games, Brayden Coombs’ special teams unit has blocked three.

Entering Week 8, the Lions hadn’t blocked a punt since 2007. Over the last two games, Brayden Coombs’ special teams unit has blocked three.

Early in the season, the hype surrounding Coombs centered around what he has been able to accomplish with Jack Fox, taking an undrafted free agent who was in a punter competition for a roster spot, and turning him into the best punter in the NFL in average yards per punt, net yards per punt, hang time, among other categories — all categories he still leads.

But, over the last two weeks, when he has called for a punt block, the Lions have been getting to the ball. And the part that really drives home that this isn’t just luck, is the fact that each block has come from a player lining up at a different spot.

In Week 8, Miles Killebrew was the player who got the Lions first block in nearly 13 years, but he was assisted by pressures by Jahlani Tavai and Jamie Collins. Tavai blew his guy off the ball and pushed him back into Killebrew’s lane, essentially occupying the assigned blocker, while Collins threatened the edge and forced the blocker wide

“You never know when it’s going to be you, whether the rush is designed for you specifically or not,” Coombs said to the Lions media after Killebrew’s block. “Like we talk about pressure burst pipes. As we’re creating pressure for the opponent, it might be designed to hit on one side of the formation, but the way that it breaks down, it might be somebody totally unexpected that comes free. So that’s why it’s really important that all 11 guys are out there doing their jobs, got the pedal to the metal.”

This week, Austin Bryant, who activated from the PUP list less than 24 hours before the game, lined up on the edge. When the edge blocker went low to cut block him, Bryant’s length and athleticism allowed him to power through the glancing block attempt, keep his feet, then use his length to get to the ball. Check out the full clip below:

Three possessions later, the Lions set a franchise record when Romeo Okwara got his hand on another punt.

Okwara lines up over the A-gap and his first step is too quick for the long snapper, who immediately grabs Okwara by the waist as he bursts by him. Okwara powers through the holding attempt and uses every bit of his length to deflect the ball. Check out the clip below (the replay gives a better perspective of how Okwara accomplished this):

Two games, three blocked punts, by three different players, all lining up at different spots. As Coombs said, if you get all 11 players to do their jobs then eventually the pipe is going to burst somewhere.

It’s fair to say, Coombs has his guys properly motivated, extremely prepared, and working hard for him on every snap. And it’s paying off.

Watch: Miles Killebrew blocks punt against Colts

Detroit Lions special teams stud Miles Killebrew blocks a punt against Indianapolis Colts.

The last time the Detroit Lions blocked a punt was December of 2007 when tight end Casey Fitzsimmons got one against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Nearly 13 years later, safety/linebacker — and special teams stud — Miles Killebrew ended the Lions streak by blocking a punt against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 8 of the 2020 season.

Killebrew is lined up one player in from the left edge (Jamie Collins), with Jahlani Tavai to his right. Tavai takes on the blocker in between them, and the Colts’ personal protector is supposed to pick up Killebrew.

But, before the personal protector can get to Killebrew, Tavai blocks his man into him, taking him out of the play and freeing up Killebrew for the attack. Killebrew doesn’t miss his shot, gets the block, and Collins recovers the ball.

Check out the full play here:

Report: Miles Killebrew won’t play in Week 7 due to a personal issue

Multiple sources are reporting Detroit Lions safety/linebacker Miles Killebrew won’t play in Week 7 due to a personal issue.

Multiple sources are reporting Detroit Lions safety/linebacker Miles Killebrew won’t play in Week 7 due to a personal issue. The team is expected to confirm the report later today.

MLive’s Kyle Meinke was the first reporter with the news, but with Lions senior writer Tim Twentyman also echoing the report, it’s safe to claim the reports are accurate. ESPN’s Mike Rothstein is adding that the personal issue is not COVID-19 related, but nothing more beyond that is known at this time.

Killebrew has yet to see a snap on defense in 2020, but he has been involved in all five phases of special teams, logging 112 snaps over four games and earning a Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade of 83.1 for the season — the highest special teams grade on the Lions, save for punter Jack Fox.

His impact will be surely be missed and will put more pressure on the Lions other special teams players, specifically Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Jayron Kearse, C.J. Moore, Jason Cabinda, and Will Harris.

Look for Elijah Lee, who has been a healthy scratch the last two games and has five-phase special teams experience, to potentially be active this week in Killebrew’s stay.

NFL practice squad rule changes and how they impact the Lions

The NFL has made radical changes to the practice squad rules for 2020

Forget everything you know about the NFL’s old practice squad rules. Those days are gone in 2020. The NFL and NFLPA made some serious changes to the practice squad to help teams adapt to football life in the time of the coronavirus.

From number of players a team can carry to who is eligible, so much has changed with NFL practice squads. Some of the key changes:

Teams can now carry up to 16 players. There was already set to be a bump from the traditional 10 to 12 this year, but the NFL and NFLPA agreed to raise the limit to 16 for the COVID-19 impact

Four of those 16 players are allowed to be protected each week. The Lions will be able to designate four players each week that other teams cannot sign away, not even to their active rosters as in past years. Those four players can change from week to week.

Vested veterans are now eligible. In the past, players were only eligible for the practice squad if they had three years or less of NFL experience, including years on the practice squad. Now teams can carry up to six players who have four or more years in the books, the qualification for a vested veteran status. For the Lions, that means a player like Miles Killebrew can stick on the practice squad when he previously could not.

Claiming players comes with a cost. Teams can still sign players from other team’s practice squads, provided they’re not protected. But the COVID-19 protocols change the dynamic. Any player signed from the outside has to first go through two full days of COVID-19 testing. So if the Lions want to poach a player from the coming week’s opponent, the earliest he could join the team is for Thursday’s practice — waiver claims are not processed until Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET. Expect that to put a severe damper on the claim process.

Two practice squad players are eligible to be active on game days. The 53-man roster limit has changed, but just for game days. Two players who spent the week on the practice squad can be designated active for that week’s game. In addition, when those players go back to the practice squad, they are immune from having to pass through waivers the first two times they are called up.

As an example, the Lions could keep CB Mike Ford on the practice squad during Week 2 but make him active to face the Packers on Sunday. Ford could then go back to the practice squad after the game and not be subjected to waivers, which normally happens to any player transitioning from the active roster to the practice squad.

Here’s some of the exact nomenclature from the NFL, for those who like to read the actual fine print:

Beginning in the 2020 League Year, the Practice Squad shall consist of the following players: (i) players who do not have an Accrued Season of NFL experience; (ii) free agent players who were on the Active List for fewer than nine regular season games during their only Accrued Season(s); (iii) a maximum of four free agent players per Club who have earned no more than two Accrued Seasons, with those four players to have no limitation as to the number of games on the game day Active List in either of those seasons; and (iv) a maximum of two free agent players per Club with no limitations as to their number of earned Accrued Seasons; provided, however, that the NFL shall increase the maximum number of players in category (iv) above from two players to four players for the 2022-30 League Years.

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Establishing the 53: Mailbag, part 2 is all about the LBs

Answering the reader’s mailbag questions after Erik Schlitt’s Establishing the 53 series of articles at Lions Wire.

After the conclusion of my “Establishing the 53” series of articles, I posed a question to the #OnePride fan base on Twitter asking for any mailbag questions surrounding my conclusions.

I answered the three most asked questions in Part 1 of the Mailbag, but there are still plenty of great questions to answer. So let’s get started.

Note: questions may have been edited for clarity

How are the Lions going to get pressure on the QB using a 3-3-5 alignment? — @joseph_xuereb

Last season the Lions were one of the worst pass-rushing teams in the league. As Jeff Risdon pointed out in his review of the first quarter of last season, the Lions found early success only rushing three linemen, but that turned out to be more of a curse than a blessing, as the team still had confidence rushing three later in the season even when it stopped working.

While the Lions did go a bit heavier in their three rusher alignments last season, for the majority of snaps they did rush four, with the extra pass rusher being JACK linebacker Devon Kennard.

One of the advantages of using a 3-3-5 set is you can disguise where the fourth rusher is coming from, but last year it was obvious to offenses that it would almost always be Kennard because he lacked the range to drop into coverage, and they were prepared for him.

This lack of range ultimately led to Kennard’s release and was likely a major reason why the Lions targeted Jamie Collins to replace him in the starting lineup.

Collins’ range will pair nicely with skill sets of Jahlani Tavai and Christian Jones and it appears the Lions may be looking to expand Jarrad Davis’ role. The addition of Collins will give the coaches options on where to bring pressure from, and in turn, should disguise the Lions’ defensive intentions.

This should also afford the Lions the opportunity to incorporate more blitzes into their game plans, allowing them to bring a 4th and sometimes 5th rusher from unique angles.

They still have to execute on the field, but the flexibility in their linebacker group should give them more options than they have previously had.

Jahlani Tavai, I believe, will be our consistent mike backer. I think they like him as the “voice” of the defense. Do you believe Tavai can play the mike position consistently? — @michaelman1212

As I eluded to in the previous question, I believe the Lions will be deploying their linebackers in several different spots, rotating players through positions, in order to confuse offenses. And while that means different players will line up at the MIKE, I agree Tavai could take on the traditional MIKE responsibilities.

One of the main jobs of the MIKE is to wear the “green dot” helmet and relay in the defensive play calls. During Davis’ first three seasons in the league that was his responsibility, but last year the Lions expanded that job to other players including Tavai.

The Lions typically allow their day two draft picks to slowly acclimate to the league during their rookie season — Tavai was a second-round pick in 2019 — and by year two they take on a much larger role. With Davis in a contract year, expect to see Tavai wear the green dot helmet quite a bit in 2020.

With both Jamie Collins and Christian Jones on the roster, could you see the Lions running a SAM LB more often in the scheme in order to get them both on the field? — @paullymac7

Typically the Lions only deploy a traditional SAM linebacker when they use four down linemen, which only happens against run-heavy offenses like the Minnesota Vikings.

That being said, the JACK linebacker spot looks primed to be adjusted and it’s possible that role will show more SAM-like qualities — especially if the Lions plan to disguise intentions.

As far as getting both Collins and Jones on the field at a time, I think there is plenty of opportunities to do so. Both players can play at the WILL, JACK, and SAM, and with the rotation levels the Lions use — last year four Lions’ linebackers saw over 52-percent of snaps — there is room for Collins, Jones, Tavai, and Davis to all get starter-level reps.

Reggie Ragland going to practice squad? — @CraigFe60141609

Leaving Ragland out of my projections got a big reaction on social media, but I stand by my assessment of him being an excellent scheme fit but only providing minimal value on special teams — something he will need to get better at quickly if he wants to win the fifth linebacker role.

As far as Craig’s question, under the 2019 practice squad rules, Ragland, who has three years accrued experience, would not have been eligible for the practice squad, but under the new CBA, he is now eligible. This season the practice squad will include 12 players, of which two can have any level of NFL experience — which makes Ragland eligible.

Now Ragland may not want to take a practice squad role but if he comes up empty on the free-agent market, it may be in his best interest to return to Detroit as a potential “practice squad elevation” player due to his fit in the defense. The Lions could also entice him by offering him a higher salary to stick around on the practice squad in an emergency role.

Does Miles Killebrew’s contract make him more of a lock than we may otherwise think? It appears he signed a deal that qualifies under the new CBA for the “mid-level” veteran salary benefit. So he only counts $1.047M against the cap, but $1M is guaranteed. Seems safe to me. — @swarheit

To push Scott’s point further, Killebrew not only has $1 million in guaranteed salary but he also got $137,500 in a signing bonus. That means his cap hit is indeed $1.047 million in 2020 but it would increase to $1.375 million in dead cap if they release him — meaning it would actually cost the Lions $90,000 more to cut him than keep him.

So why did I have Killebrew on the outside of my 53-man projection?

Killebrew was one of the final few decisions I made when rounding out my projection, with it coming down to him or fellow special teams demon Jalen Reeves-Maybin. Both are dynamic pieces on special teams but are only emergency level defenders and I’m not sure the Lions will be able to keep multiple special teams only players.

Additionally, while his contract is very team-friendly, the additional $90,000 — or $1.375 million for that matter — is just drop in the bucket overall and I don’t believe it will deter the Lions from moving on if they need roster space.

There’s a real chance he finds his way onto the roster for a fifth season but he will likely have to make his money in the pre-season.

Establishing the 53: breaking down the LB group

Examining the Detroit Lions linebackers and debating who and how many players they will keep on the 53-man roster.

It’s never too early to examine and speculate about the Detroit Lions roster. Currently, the Lions have 90-players on their roster, and come September, there will likely be some difficult decisions to make when determining their final 53-players.

Previously, in this series of articles at Lions Wire, we rounded out the running backs group, declared a winner in the fullback versus H-back competition, added an offensive weapon, narrowed down the offensive line, broke down the defensive line, and in this piece, look at the linebackers.

Setting the table

The Lions don’t use their linebackers like traditional 43 or 34 base players, instead opting to use traits from both schemes and asking their linebackers to be fluid in moving between positions.

In the Lions base defense, they deploy three linebackers on most downs. In the picture below, Jarrad Davis (40) is the MIKE, Christian Jones (52) is the WILL, and Devon Kennard (42) is the JACK.

The MIKE and WILL are off-the-ball players, with the JACK typically living at the line-of-scrimmage. While this is their base set, the Lions will lineup — and pass rush/cover — their linebackers in a variety of ways, as deception is part of the scheme.

For more detailed looks at how the linebackers are used in this scheme, please take a look at my film study: explaining how the Lions LB roles changed in 2019, and how adding Jamie Collins in free agency points to the linebacker positions being positionally fluid moving forward.

Natural JACK LBs

As mentioned in the Collins article, the adding of Collins and releasing of Kennard point to a shift in how the JACK linebacker spot is used. Instead of having a dedicated player at the position, the Lions appear to be leaning towards rotating off-the-ball linebackers and natural JACK linebackers here and in other roles.

In the last two drafts, the Lions have selected two JACK linebackers: Austin Bryant (in the fourth round in 2019) and Julian Okwara (third round in 2020) — both look like strong options for the final 53-man roster.

In addition to JACK, Bryant’s secondary position is as a down defensive end, while Okwara’s secondary position will likely be off-the-ball, with the goal of turning him into the next Jamie Collins. Both players were injured last season — Bryant with the Lions and Okwara at Notre Dame — and it points to them being rotational players in 2020 while they gain experience.

Erik’s take: With high developmental ceilings, both Okwara and Bryant should make the 53 with ease.

Who else can play JACK?

Anthony Pittman has also been a player primarily used at JACK, but at 225-pounds it’s hard to feel confident with him holding up there on a regular basis. He has also been cross-trained at the off-the-ball linebacker spots.

In college, both Jamie Collins and Christian Jones were pass-rushing linebackers and while they have transitioned to more off-the-ball roles in the NFL, they are also capable of rotating through the JACK position making them very valuable players in this scheme.

Jahlani Tavai and Reggie Ragland are also capable of rushing off the edge but they’re better suited as at the line-of-scrimmage run stuffers rather than pass rushers.

Jarrad Davis, Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Miles Killebrew, Jason Cabinda, Christian Sam, and Elijah Lee are more traditional off-the-ball linebackers and are not considered players who can play at the JACK spot unless they expand their games.

Starter battle

With no dedicated JACK, I am anticipating the Lions to use three off-the-ball linebackers as their base starting unit, with plenty of rotation through all spots. There are four primary contenders for those spots.

Collins — who saw 80.7-percent of snaps in New England last year — was the Lions’ big-ticket free agent this offseason and should be considered a lock for a starting role. His contract backs that up, as it averages ($10 million) nearly triple any other Lions linebacker’s salary. For example, even Collins’ lower cap hit of $6.3 million in 2020 is a stone’s throw away from total cap hits of  Davis, Jones, and Tavai, which equals $7.4 million.

Last year Davis (57.3-percent of snaps) and Jones (53.3-percent) were the technical off-the-ball starters, but Tavai also saw starter levels snaps (52.2-percent). A similar rotation of these three in 2020 wouldn’t be overly surprising.

Erik’s take: Personally I think Tavai makes a leap in 2020 and earns a starting role, next to Collins and Davis, while Jones will come off the bench but still see a starters levels of snaps. 

Reserves LBs vs Special teamers

With Bryant, Okwara, Collins, Tavai, Davis, and Jones securing the top spots, that only leaves one or two spots for a reserve linebacker.

The first player that should be considered is Ragland. His ability to be positionally fluid is a big plus, but he has always been a part-time player in the NFL. With the Chiefs, he saw only 21.3-percent of their defensive snaps in 2019, 49.4-percent in 2018, and 29.3-percent in 2017. His $962,500 cap hit doubles down on the fact that the Lions only see him as a reserve player as well. There is a contingent of Lions fans who would rather see Ragland get a shot over Davis but I don’t believe that to be a realistic option at this stage.

His primary competition is special teams’ demon Reeves-Maybin. He is not nearly as good a fit in the scheme as Ragland, but Reeves-Maybin is among the elite special teams’ players in the league — PFF gave him a 90.0 special teams grade in 2019 — and that will go a very long way with this organization.

Killebrew is even more limited than Reeves-Maybin in what he can do on defense, but he is also among the best special teams players on the roster. It’s also worth noting that his new contract carries a $1.05 million cap hit in 2020, which is slightly higher than both Ragland and Reeves-Maybin ($978,273). Elijah Lee has similar PFF special teams grades to Killebrew and will also be competition for this role.

Like Ragland, Cabinda and Sam are great scheme fits but offer more on special teams. They will need to take big strides in their game to make the 53,  but the practice squad is a likely landing for at least one of them.

Erik’s take: With defensive positions at a premium, reserves need to play multiple roles, including special teams, so give me Reeves-Maybin as my top option in this group. 

Conclusion

With Collins, Tavai, Davis, Jones, and Okwara rotating through three spots, along with Bryant and Reeves-Maybin holding down key roles, the Lions linebacker corps is improved from last season.

Ragland will likely be one of the final cuts, but as long as Davis is on the roster, Ragland will likely get pushed off it. Killebrew will also be a difficult cut, but he is somewhat redundant with safety Jayron Kearse, who seems like a safe bet for the 53. Additionally, expect one or two from the linebacker group to be kept on the practice squad for developmental purposes.

6 notable Lions from 2019 now on the roster bubble

New additions in free agency and the draft have pushed several Lions who played big roles in 2019 onto the roster bubble

The welcomed influx of new talent into the Lions’ den means some established players will have to find a new NFL place to rest their helmets. Several players who were starters or played significant roles for Detroit in 2019 are now precariously on the team’s roster bubble after the draft, free agency and UDFA signings.

The team has already said goodbye to some, notably free agents Graham Glasgow, Sam Martin, A’Shawn Robinson. The Lions also dumped veterans like Rick Wagner and Damon “Snacks” Harrison. Which recognizable Lions from 2019 could be next?

Jamal Agnew

The team’s primary return specialist for the last three seasons is more in danger because he’s never developed into an NFL-caliber player as a cornerback, his regular position. After a terrible start to 2019, Agnew bounced back with some solid games at the end of the season. His punt return TD against Denver was the first glimpse of the dynamic All-Pro returner Agnew was as a rookie in 2017 since that first year.

With no role on defense and facing viable challenges for his return gig from sixth-rounder Jason Huntley and depth receiver Marvin Hall, Agnew will have to quickly prove he’s worthy of the roster spot.

John Atkins

Atkins isn’t the most recognizable name, but the defensive tackle did start six games last season. He logged 20 total tackles in 12 games, double what Mike Daniels contributed in his woebegone year. His 40 percent of total snaps at nose tackle in 2019 weren’t impressive enough to keep him safe.

The Lions signed Danny Shelton to be the new starter. Fifth-round pick John Penisini is a younger, more versatile option as a reserve.

Joe Dahl

Detroit’s primary starting left guard in 2019 has seen several shots across his roster bow this offseason. The team brought back nondescript veterans Kenny Wiggins and Oday Aboushi, signed former first-rounder Josh Garnett, and then drafted Joshua Jackson in the third round and Logan Stenberg in the fourth.

If the team believed in Dahl, they have a funny way of showing it by drafting two players at his exact position and also seeing the need to re-sign underwhelming vets. Even if the coaching staff opts to continue with the rotational nature at guard, Dahl appears to be in trouble.

Ty Johnson

Johnson played well as a rookie running back. The sixth-rounder from Penn State led the Lions with a 4.3 yards per carry average (min. 50 carries) and also caught 24 passes on 31 targets. He played well enough to prove he’s an NFL RB.

Yet the Lions drafted Jason Huntley as a direct challenger to Johnson in the role of speed/receiving back. GM Bob Quinn even said so in his post-draft press conference. It’s hard to see the Lions keeping both in a suddenly crowded backfield unless one of them also wins the return specialist gig.

Miles Killebrew

Killebrew has done little outside of contributing solid work on special teams in his four seasons in Detroit. He’s played just 87 total snaps on defense the last two years despite being healthy.

Signing Jayron Kearse as a free agent and inking some promising undrafted players who can fill his reserve safety role might be the end of Killebrew’s time in Detroit.

Jalen Reeves-Maybin

The team’s fourth-round pick in 2017 is coming off his most impactful season. Reeves-Maybin started three games at linebacker and recorded a career-high 37 tackles. But his future is in peril.

Reeves-Maybin is no higher than fifth on the LB depth chart behind Jamie Collins, Jarrad Davis, Christian Jones and Jahlani Tavai. With the depth and talent bumped up at safety, there figures to be less room for extra linebackers in what appears to be a more firm 4-man front in new coordinator Cory Undlin’s defense. Newcomer Reggie Ragland better fits what coach Matt Patricia wants from his LBs in a reserve role, too.

Lions agree to terms with S/LB Miles Killebrew

The Detroit Lions announced they have agreed to terms with safety/linebacker Miles Killebrew.

After agreeing to terms with seven free agents and trading for Duran Harmon over the first four days of free agency, the Detroit Lions spent the fifth day boosting their special teams.

Earlier today they added nickelback/gunner Tony McRae and now they announced they have once again agreed to terms with safety/linebacker Miles Killebrew.

“Killebrew joined the Lions as a fourth-round selection (111th overall) in the 2016 NFL Draft out of Southern Utah,” the Lions said in a press release. “He has appeared in 63 career games (four starts) and has logged 56 tackles (45 solo), six pass defenses, two interceptions and one interception returned for a touchdown. Killebrew has also contributed 37 special teams tackles (33 solo) in his career.”

In 2019, Killebrew only played on 87 defensive snaps, typically at WILL linebacker, but he is a dynamic special teams player and saw 344 snaps in five different phases — punt coverage, punt return, kickoff coverage, kickoff return, and field goal/extra point blocking team.

Killebrew’s best path to the 53-man roster has always been on special teams and he will once again face stiff competition this year. Like Killebrew, Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Jayron Kearse, Steve Longa, and Jason Cabinda are all experienced special teamers and will be fighting for only a few available spots.

That being said, according to Pro Football Focus, last season Killebrew was the second-highest graded Lions’ player on special teams behind only Reeves-Maybin. If he can repeat his performance and continue to execute in the third phase of the game, the Lions will reward him with another season on the roster.

Full terms of Killebrew’s contract with the Lions were not released at the time this article was published, so stay tuned to Lions Wire for more updates.

2020 NFL Free Agency: Is Danny Amendola the best the Lions have to offer?

The New Orleans Saints will take a hard look at potential upgrades at wide receiver, and Detroit Lions slot receiver Danny Amendola may fit.

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The New Orleans Saints are hard at work in drawing up their offseason strategy, and we’re following along with a daily survey of every NFL team’s pending free agents. This series will take us right up to the beginning of unrestricted free agency’s legal tampering period and help give a better idea of which players may be on the market, as well as which teams will be contending for the Saints in checking off their roster needs. Next up is the Detroit Lions. Here’s who may be available in March:

  • WR Danny Amendola
  • DT Mike Daniels
  • SS Tavon Wilson
  • P Sam Martin
  • CB Rashaan Melvin
  • WR Jermaine Kearse
  • DT A’Shawn Robinson
  • T Oday Aboushi
  • LS Don Muhlbach
  • TE Logan Thomas
  • G Graham Glasgow
  • S Miles Killebrew
  • QB Jeff Driskel
  • DT Darius Kilgo
  • DE Jamie Meder
  • CB Michael Ford (ERFA)
  • CB Dee Virgin (ERFA)
  • RB J.D. McKissic (RFA)

It wouldn’t be a shock if the Saints explore the free agency market and end up leaving it with Danny Amendola, or someone much like him. His skills set is what the Saints offense is lacking; they have the superstar in Michael Thomas, the speedy flankers in Tre’Quan Smith and Deonte Harris, and the big slot specialists in Keith Kirkwood and Lil’Jordan Humphrey, but they lack a fleet-footed run-after-catch threat (think Willie Snead or Lance Moore). Amendola isn’t the best candidate for that job (Randall Cobb probably is), but he could be the most cost-effective.

Fortunately, there are other pending free agents from Detroit that the Saints can consider. Graham Glasgow is one of the better guards expected to be available, having played well but apparently clashed with Matt Patricia’s coaching staff, and earned a spot in the doghouse for his troubles. It’s unclear how the going rate for guards will shake out this summer, but Glasgow would likely be a welcome upgrade in New Orleans after too much exposure to Andrus Peat.

It’ll be interesting to see how the Saints approach their second year with Darren Rizzi coaching the special teams units. His squad saw a lot of turnover during the season and could continue to churn new pieces into the coverage teams, with veterans like Johnson Bademosi and Stephone Anthony headed for free agency; two of the best Saints special teamers, J.T. Gray (a second-team All-Pro) and Justin Hardee, currently have exclusive-rights free agent and restricted free agent status. If more change is coming, look out for Lions safety Miles Killebrew to get a look. He ranked second in Detroit in special teams snaps played (351) and could be a big addition in New Orleans at a modest price.

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Lions week 12 snap counts: Oruwariye steps up in Melvin’s absence

The Detroit Lions had 11 rookies active on game day, and for the most part, they all played significant or scheme-specific roles on Sunday.

When examining the Detroit Lions (3-7-1) snap counts from Week 12, a few key things stood out. Of the 46 players active for the Lions in Washington, 11 of them were rookies, including Isaac Nauta, Austin Bryant, Beau Benzschawel, and Michael Jackson, all making their NFL debuts.

That and more takeaways from this week’s snap counts below:

Jeff Driskel continues snap streak

Jeff Driskel — 75, 100-percent

Despite Driskel’s playing style leading to him getting hit with frequency, he still manages to stay on the field for every snap.

Lions use 7 of 8 active offensive linemen

LT Taylor Decker — 75, 100-percent
LG Joe Dahl — 74, 99-percent
C Graham Glasgow — 75, 100-percent
RG Kenny Wiggins — 68, 91-percent
RT Tyrell Crosby — 75, 100-percent
OG Oday Aboushi — 8, 11-percent
OT Tyrell Crosby — 5, 7-percent
OL Beau Benzschawel — 0, 0-percent

The Lions have nine offensive linemen on their active roster. With Frank Ragnow out due to a concussion, that left them with eight healthy — all of which were active on Sunday. Typically the Lions only deploy seven offensive linemen on game days and that held true again yesterday, with Benzschawel still waiting to see his first NFL snaps.

Scarbrough leads the backfield again

Bo Scarbrough — 38, 51-percent
Ty Johnson — 27, 36-percent
J.D. McKissic — 11, 15-percent

Scarbrough was once again one of the bright spots in the Lions offense and the Lions leaned on him for the second week in a row. Behind him, Johnson and McKissic flipped roles from last week, with the game plan calling for more of a ground presence.

WR snaps have been consistent

Kenny Golladay — 68, 91-percent
Marvin Jones Jr. — 67, 89-percent
Danny Amendola — 46, 61-percent
Marvin Hall — 10, 13-percent

This snap count distribution has been fairly close to what the Lions have deployed since Driskel took over at quarterback. The only difference being Hall’s snap counts declined a bit after he left the game early with a lower leg injury.

Hockenson see lowest snap counts of the season

T.J. Hockenson — 33, 44-percent
Jesse James — 32, 43-percent
Logan Thomas — 28, 37-percent
Isaac Nauta — 10, 13-percent

Most young quarterbacks rely on tight ends as safety valves, but that has not been the case with Driskel. That may not be the primary reason the tight ends snaps counts dropped this week, — Hockenson was added to the injury report late Saturday — but it was likely a factor.

Nauta, who was just promoted to the active roster on Saturday, saw several snaps out of the backfield filling in for injured fullback Nick Bawden.

Interior DL snaps

A’Shawn Robinson — 43, 72-percent
Damon Harrison — 38, 63-percent
John Atkins — 25, 42-percent
Mike Daniels — 9, 15-percent

These snaps counts are very similar to what we saw from this group last week, which begs the question — why isn’t Daniels seeing the field more?

EDGE players see a big bump in snaps

Romeo Okwara — 56, 93-percent
Devon Kennard — 55, 92-percent
Austin Bryant — 16, 27-percent

Last season, Okwara routinely had multiple games where he received over 90-percent of snaps, but his numbers declined with the addition of Trey Flowers. With Flowers missing this week with a concussion, Okwara was back over 90-percent once again.

Bryant began the game only seeing the field on third downs but saw his snaps increase in obvious passing situations.

Linebackers dip in snaps

Jarrad Davis — 51, 85-percent
Christian Jones — 30, 50-percent
Jahlani Tavai — 29, 48-percent
Miles Killebrew — 16, 27-percent

All three primarily off-the-ball linebackers saw a slight dip in snaps. This is only the fourth game this season where Davis saw less than 90-percent of snaps, Tavai saw his snaps drop after a month in the 60th percentile, while Jones saw his lowest snap counts of the season.

Like Bryant in the last section, Killebrew saw the field on third downs and obvious passing situations as the game wore on.

Oruwariye steps up in Melvin’s absence

Darius Slay — 60, 100-percent
Justin Coleman — 60, 100-percent
Amani Oruwariye — 45, 75-percent

Last week, Oruwariye took over for Mike Ford in the fourth cornerback spot, and this week with Rashaan Melvin unable to play due to injury, Oruwariye was once again promoted into a more prominent role.

Oruwariye flashed the skill level he showed off in training camp and secured his first career interception:

Safety use was clear and defined

Tavon Wilson — 60, 100-percent
Will Harris — 60, 100-percent
C.J. Moore — 7, 12-percent

With no Tracy Walker, the Lions leaned heavily on Wilson and Harris, only turning to Moore when they went into three safety sets.

Special teams

Miles Killebrew — 26
Dee Virgin — 26
Mike Ford — 23
Steve Longa — 21
Jalen Reeves-Maybin — 21
Isaac Nauta — 21
C.J. Moore — 20
Ty Johnson — 17
Logan Thomas — 15
Jesse James — 11
Amani Oruwariye — 11
Will Harris — 10
Christian Jones — 9
J.D. McKissic — 6
Jarrad Davis — 5
Tavon  Wilson — 4
Justin Coleman — 4
Marvin Hall — 3
Danny Amendola — 3
Michael Jackson — 2

With no Jamal Agnew available, the Lions turned to Ty Johnson on kick returns and Marvin Hall on punt returns, but when Hall went down, the team needed veteran Danny Amendola to field the final three punts.

Michael Jackson saw his first-ever NFL snaps yesterday, getting two looks on special teams.