Preseason Preview: Which 5 Lions have most to gain vs. Colts?

The Detroit Lions open their 2017 preseason slate with a Sunday afternoon game against the Indianapolis Colts, and will hold joint practice sessions Thursday and Friday to prepare.

That will give all the young Lions battling for more playing time plenty of opportunities to make a name for themselves.

Who has the most to gain?

WR TJ Jones

Jones has impressed many observers of Detroit’s training camp so far, including Lions Wire’s Erik Schlitt and (apparently) the Lions coaches, who listed Jones as a second-stringer in the team’s first depth chart of the new season.

But looking good in practice has always come easy for Jones; what he hasn’t always done is take advantage of the opportunities he’s earned. These two practices and preseason game against a live opponent will be crucial for him to solidify his spot.

LT Cyrus Kouandjio

Greg Robinson is the presumed (and named) starter at left tackle for the time being, but he’s hardly been dominant in practice so far. Kouandjio’s seen plenty of reps with the top two units, and he’s provided both highlights and lowlights.

The Colts have just revamped their front seven; how consistent Kouandjio can be against pass rushers like John Simon and Jabaal Sheard will be a huge factor in whether he can overtake Robinson for the top spot.

CB Teez Tabor

Tabor is making this team, there’s no question about that. But whether he’s pushing the starters for playing time, or just taking up a roster spot while he gets his legs under him, will depend on how he does against real competition.

If a player’s going to stake his reputation on being a ‘gamer’, he’ll have to show up on games—and while fan opinion doesn’t mean much to the Detroit coaching staff, Tabor needs to put out some good tape to get the fans off his back.

DE Anthony Zettel

Though Colts starting quarterback Andrew Luck wouldn’t likely have gotten many reps in the first preseason game anyway, he’s completely sidelined while he rehabs a repaired shoulder.

That means that through both practices and the game, starter-for-now Anthony Zettel will be trying to bring down the likes of Colts backup quarterbacks Scott Tolzein and Stephen Morris. The better he does at hassling those two, the more likely he’ll be to earn real opportunities when the games count.

S Alex Carter

Carter, a cornerback who moved to safety this offseason partly because of the logjam at the corner spot, has impressed many by showing up to training camp in outstanding shape.

But as Schlitt pointed out during training camp, Carter’s got to show he can pick the position up quickly. Between the legal cloud hanging over starting safety Tavon Wilson (who, by the way, is in a contract year), and the questions about whether Miles Killebrew will be able to step his deep-coverage game up, there’s an opportunity for an athletic cover safety.

These reps against a team with a ton of talented pass-catchers (but no talented pass-throwers) should give Carter a great chance to improve his odds of making the squad.

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