Practices are for starters, games are for backups. At least during the joint practice portion of training camp.
Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell said this week that is how he planned to approach his team’s workouts with the New York Giants and Friday’s preseason opener, when key players for both teams likely will not see the field.
“You want to see some of these guys that (are) potentially depth players. Yeah, you could call them fringe,” Campbell said. “But I think the other (part) is, man, can they be spot starters for you and where can they go with that? Those are the guys you really want to try to find out about. That’s what stuff like this really helps.”
The Lions and Giants gave their starters and key reserves a heavy rotation of reps Tuesday and Wednesday, when they built limited time in their practice scripts for their third teams.
Campbell declined Wednesday to say who he will hold out of Friday’s game at Ford Field, but he acknowledged, “I’m sure you guys can guess some of them.”
Last year, after Jared Goff talked his way into playing briefly in the Lions’ exhibition opener alongside the starting offensive line, Campbell held Goff out of the rest of the preseason and kept his projected starters at nearly every other position out of the Lions’ second preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts, following two joint practices during game week.
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Among the 32 players who did not play against the Colts were the Lions’ entire projected starting offensive line, top two running backs, both starting safeties, receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, veteran defensive players Alex Anzalone and Michael Brockers and then-rookie first-round pick Aidan Hutchinson.
Several players who ended up being key depth players (or more) did face the Colts, including then-rookie safety Kerby Joseph, defensive linemen John Cominsky and Isaiah Buggs, young linebackers Derrick Barnes and Malcolm Rodriguez and center Evan Brown.
Using that template as a guide, here are 10 players who could see the field Friday and whose performance will go a long way towards determining what if any role they have this fall:
QB Nate Sudfeld
Sudfeld likely will start at quarterback in place of Goff, and with Teddy Bridgewater due in shortly and expected to take practice reps next week, this could be his last best chance to prove he’s worthy of a spot on the 53-man roster. The Lions cut both of the backup QBs they had in camp last year, David Blough and Tim Boyle, to add Sudfeld, and they’re not contractually married to Sudfeld this fall if they decide to roll with Bridgewater as Goff’s lone backup for the season. Sudfeld probably needs a strong final two weeks to earn a spot as QB3.
WR Jameson Williams
This list wouldn’t be complete without Williams, the talented first-round pick from 2022 who’s had a choppy start to his NFL career. Williams has a six-game suspension to serve to start the season, so the Lions are planning to “douse” him with work in exhibition games. He told me as he ran off the field Wednesday he’s looking at the preseason almost like the start of his regular season. And given the competition level he’s about to face, he should have plenty of opportunities to make plays.
WR Denzel Mims
Mims missed some time this week with an ankle injury, so there’s no guarantee he plays. But the receiver was a late-summer roster addition at a position with a lot of moving parts who still is proving himself to a new staff. The Lions have playing time available in their receiving corps, and Mims was in the rotation on special teams before his injury.
WR Dylan Drummond
Of the “fringe” players on the 90-man roster at the start of camp, no one has rocketed up the depth chart as much as Drummond. The undrafted rookie out of Eastern Michigan has taken first- and second-team reps over the past week and likely will get a heavy workload Friday. He’s sure-handed. He gets open. He can return kicks. And if his play on the practice field translates to games, he’ll be a tough one to keep off the roster.
OT Germain Ifedi
The way I see it, the Lions have seven linemen locked into roster spots, with a clear top six and rookie Colby Sorsdal having shown enough to claim the seventh spot. Ifedi will have to beat out Matt Nelson for the swing tackle job, and while it’s not out of the question both make the team, their play in preseason games could be a determining factor. Ifedi has made 83 career starts, so he’s not exactly an unknown. Still, this is the first time the Lions will be asking him to block for a live quarterback since joining from the Falcons.
DT Brodric Martin
A rookie third-round pick, Martin has flashed some impressive tools in training camp, occasionally working with the first team. He’s a lock to make the roster and could be ticketed for a rotational role early in the season, but the Lions are trying to get him to be a more consistent every-down player and he needs reps to do that. Martin should play heavy minutes Friday. Look for him to spend plenty of time in the Giants’ backfield.
DT Christian Covington
If you’re looking for this year’s version of Cominsky, Covington could be your man. The veteran lineman came to the Lions without much fanfare and hasn’t generated much buzz in camp, but he’s a reliable player who makes a play or two every day and does the dirty work coaches like. The Lions are pretty deep up front, but when camp ends, Covington’s body of work may be too good to ignore.
LB Jack Campbell
The Lions could hold some rookies out Friday, but I’m guessing Campbell will play. He’s competing with Derrick Barnes for the starting job opposite Alex Anzalone, and like Martin, needs time on the field. Campbell is a heat-seeking missile in the run game and has some moxie as a blitzer. The Lions have mostly kept him in base packages with the first-team in practice. He’ll need to develop as a pass defender to become an every-down player.
S Ifeatu Melifonwu
A third-round pick in 2021, Melifonwu has two weeks left to prove he deserves a roster spot after two injury-riddled seasons in Detroit. He’s played mostly with the second-team defense when healthy this summer, but hasn’t made as many plays on the ball as fellow backup Saivion Smith. The Lions have lots of options at safety, so Melifonwu might need to win his way onto the roster on special teams. He should get plenty of looks in the kicking game Friday.
Ks Parker Romo and Riley Patterson
Romo and Patterson have gone back and forth in training camp, trading makes and misses like jabs in a prize fight, and now it’s time to take their competition to preseason games. Both have appeal; Romo has immense leg talent, while Patterson is more experienced. But consistency has been an issue. Bottom line: One of these two will make the 53-man roster and one will be out of work (or on practice squad) in two weeks.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.