He entered training camp on the roster bubble, mostly because he had trouble staying on the field. And he said Friday he won’t rest easy knowing the Detroit Lions have 25 or so cuts to make by 4 p.m. Tuesday.
“I don’t take anything for granted in this league, man,” third-year outside linebacker Austin Bryant said. “It’s called ‘not for long’ for a reason. Got to earn it every day so hopefully I did enough and worked enough and showed enough to be a part of this team because it’s a privilege.”
Bryant likely did enough this summer not just to earn a roster spot but a rotational role on the Lions defense.
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He had two tackles in each of the Lions’ three preseason games, and though he did not record a sack, he was a regular in opposing backfields applying pressure.
Lions coach Dan Campbell mentioned Bryant last week as a player who had more to offer after seeing him in person than he first thought from watching him on film.
“Now he was hurt last year, but I know this, this guy goes all out, all the time the plays that he did play,” Campbell said. “To watch him be in here and get his feet back under him and get the reps, get the load, he’s been pretty impressive. I think this guy’s really got a high ceiling and can continue to grow. I think he’s even twitchier than I thought he was.”
Because he missed so much time the past two seasons with injuries, Bryant remains a work in progress as a pass rusher.
He has an impressive spin move he beat offensive tackles with several times during camp, but doesn’t always keep his feet and finish the play.
In Friday’s preseason-ending 27-17 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, he narrowly missed a drive-ending sack on the Colts’ tying touchdown drive, when he split two linemen with a quick inside move only to see quarterback Brett Hundley scramble for a first down.
“It’s always frustrating when you’re right there,” Bryant said. “I beat him clean on a good move and I had my opportunity, but next time I just got to make it. That happens sometimes.”
Bryant, who played in 10 games his first two seasons, made his biggest NFL contribution to date last November when he blocked a punt in a loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
He should remain a core special team player this fall, and his non-stop motor could be boon to a front seven that suddenly appears to have some pass rushing chops.
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Trey Flowers and Romeo Okwara are expected to start at outside linebacker, with Flowers moving inside in sub packages. Julian Okwara and Charles Harris also are competing for time as backups.
“I think (our pass rush) can be elite,” Bryant said. “But it takes work. We got to put in the work every day. It’s not going to come easy. Sacks do not come easy in this league. We got some talented offensive linemen in this league, but we’ve got some talented rushers on this team so I’m excited for what we can do. And like I said, we just got to keep working, man. Keep working and keep trending up.”
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.