Discussion: What will be the best Lions, Jaguars joint practice matchup?

The Detroit Lions will have a day off before welcoming the Jacksonville Jaguars to Allen Park for another set of joint practices. Last week, the Lions and New York Giants had a pair of practices that saw premier matchups like Kayvon Thibodeaux vs. Penei Sewell and Dexter Lawrence vs. Frank Ragnow Graham Glasgow.

The Jaguars are considered an up-and-coming team in the AFC. Having just won a playoff game last year, there will be a bunch of talented players arriving in metro Detroit this week. On Monday, Lions coach Dan Campbell highlighted some of their biggest strengths.

“These guys as a whole have more length, particularly in the front, they can run pretty good in the backend and the skillset on offense of these receivers is pretty good,” Campbell said. “The receivers, the tight ends, they create some issues. It’s explosive, this halfback they’ve got, and then obviously the quarterback to be able to get it to him, his ability to run and throw.”

So today’s Question of the Day is:

What will be the best matchups in Lions vs. Jaguars joint practices?

My answer: I’ll give you three I’m looking towards.

Let’s start with Campbell’s area of focus: the Jaguars’ skill position players. At receiver, the Jaguars boast a powerful trio in Calvin Ridley, Christian Kirk, and Zay Jones. While the Lions secondary—particularly their cornerbacks—have yet to prove they can match up with such a strong threat, rookie Brian Branch has certainly made a strong impression. His matchups against Kirk—the Jaguars’ slot receiver—should be epic.

The Lions’ tackles against the Jaguars’ edge defenders should also be something to watch. Jaguars edge Josh Allen—who produced 68 pressures last year—will likely be lined up opposite Taylor Decker. While last year’s first overall pick Travon Walker will be paired with Sewell, though he’ll likely see time on both sides of the line.

Evan Engram vs. the Lions’ linebackers is my final matchup to watch. For the most part, the Lions linebackers have impressed in camp, but Darren Waller gave them issues last week against the Giants. It would be nice to see the Lions rebound this week against Engram, who isn’t as dynamic as Waller but is still a very talented tight end.

Which matchups are you looking towards? Scroll to the comment section below and let us know.