Detroit Lions offensive bubble players who helped, hurt their case vs. Falcons

The preseason is a huge opportunity for players that are hanging right around the roster bubble. Not only are these the first true live reps for a lot of players on the second and third team roster, but it’s opposite real competition against players who are just as hungry to fight for their professional lives.

On Friday night, the Detroit Lions’ offense looked relatively good for much of the game. Of course, no one looked better than the first-team offense, but Detroit managed to orchestrate four other scoring drives against the Atlanta Falcons, all of which went for 45 yards or longer.

So let’s take a look at the players on the roster bubble on offense, and see how individual performances may have shifted what the Lions will do with those players.

It’s Bubble Watch, Week 4

Here are previous Bubble Watch results: Week 1, Week 2, Week 3

Quarterback

• David Blough — 9 “IN” votes (up 3 votes)
• Tim Boyle — 1 “IN” vote (down 3 votes)

David Blough may have had the game-losing fumble, but throughout the second half, he looked composed, comfortable, and accurate. He didn’t take a lot of deep shots, but going 18-of-28 for 141 yards was a solid day for Blough.

Meanwhile, Tim Boyle was erratic, dangerous, and just unpredictable. He had a couple of gorgeous passes—including a 45-yard bomb to Kalif Raymond—but he had just as many bad misses.

Dependability is huge for a backup quarterback, and our results show that Blough looked like the more dependable option against the Falcons.

Running back

• Craig Reynolds — 9 (no change)
• Godwin Igwebuike — 4 (down 2)
• Jermar Jefferson — 1 (no change)

A few PODers jumped off the Godwin Igwebuike train, suggesting the Lions may only keep three running backs. That is likely based on the fact that Igwebuike did not return any kicks on Friday night like normal, and he was repping behind Jermar Jefferson when it came to the offense. Was that a demotion for Igwebuike or a case of them wanting to see others make a case for the return job? We’ll have to wait and see, but no reserve running backs really emerged on Friday night, though the offensive line did them no favors.

Tight end

• James Mitchell — 9 votes (no change)
• Brock Wright — 9 (up 2)
• Garrett Griffin — 7 (up 5)
• Devin Funchess — 2 (no change)
• Shane Zylstra — 0 (down 1)

There’s a lot going on here, so let me break it down.

Brock Wright is now a unanimous “IN,” likely due to a very strong blocking performance against the Falcons. PFF credited him with a 75.3 pass blocking grade (5th among TEs) and a 65.3 run blocking grade (27th).

Garrett Griffin’s rise is almost certainly due to fullback Jason Cabinda remaining on the Physically Unable to Perform list. We have seen no sign of Cabinda, and it’s becoming more and more likely he stays on the list to start the season. If so, Griffin is clearly the leading candidate to take over fullback/superback duties.

Interestingly enough, despite a strong preseason performance, Devin Funchess did not move at all. He had a lot of work to do, though, after an extremely quiet training camp. So, perhaps he moved up a couple spots on the depth chart, but remains outside the bubble.

Wide receiver

• Trinity Benson — 8 (up 1)
• Quintez Cephus — 7 (down 1)
• Tom Kennedy — 2 (up 2)

Unsurprisingly, Tom Kennedy moves up a couple spots following a fantastic, 104-yard performance against the Falcons. Even more notable, Kennedy played on the outside in 32 of his 43 snaps, proving he can be a little more than just a pure slot receiver. However, Kennedy did not play a single special teams snap, which is something that will be critical for him to make the team.

Benson moves up a spot likely because he contributed on special teams on Friday. He was the team’s primary kick returner, and while he didn’t do all that well in that role, he was also in on kick coverage (and recorded a tackle) and punt return. That’s the kind of special teams versatility that the Lions will be looking for in a WR5/6.

Offensive tackle

• Matt Nelson — 9 (new to bubble watch)
• Dan Skipper — 0 (no change)
• Obinna Eze — 0 (no change)
• Darrin Paulo (guard) — 0 (no change)

No changes here. Everyone on staff believes the Lions will only carry three offensive tackles, and that man is Matt Nelson, despite a poor preseason debut that knocked him back onto the roster bubble.

Unfortunately, this is just an indication of how thin the Lions’ depth is on the offensive line. Please stay healthy Penei Sewell and Taylor Decker.

Guard/Center

• Tommy Kraemer — 9 (up 1)
• Logan Stenberg — 5 (down 2)
• Kevin Jarvis — 1 (no change)

Not much change here, either. Kraemer maintains the top reserve option likely due to his versatility and a solid performance on Friday. Stenberg wasn’t bad (61.5 PFF grade), but he was also one of the reasons the run game struggled after the starters left the game.

Of the bunch, I thought Kevin Jarvis had the best day at right guard (78.9 PFF grade), but seeing as he was repping mostly in the fourth quarter, it’s clear he has a long way to go to get to the final 53-man roster. But don’t sleep on him completely, as he was getting some early reps at the beginning of camp.