Snap counts during the preseason can say a lot about a team. If a player is getting a ton of playing time, especially late in the game, it can be an indication that coaches need to see more from that player to make the final 53-man roster. Conversely, if a guy barely plays at all, it either means his roster spot is safe or he’s an extreme long shot to make the roster.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the Detroit Lions’ preseason snap counts for Thursday’s game against the New England Patriots.

Offense:

Quarterbacks

David Fales: 34 (76%)

Tom Savage: 11 (24%)

Running backs

Mark Thompson: 17 (38%) — 10 special teams snaps (38%)

Ty Johnson: 13 (29%)

Zach Zenner: 12 (27%) — 15 (58%)

Nick Bawden: 4 (9%) — 8 (31%)

C.J. Anderson: 3 (7%)

Tight ends

Jerome Cunningham: 15 (33%) — 13 (50%)

Isaac Nauta: 14 (31%) — 9 (35%)

Logan Thomas: 10 (22%) — 9 (35%)

Austin Traylor: 9 (20%) — 10 (38%)

Jesse James: 7 (16%)

T.J. Hockenson: 6 (13%)

Wide receivers

Jonathan Duhart: 24 (53%) — 10 (38%)

Travis Fulgham: 24 (53%) — 4 (15%)

Andy Jones: 20 (44%) — 6 (23%)

Chris Lacy: 15 (33%) — 12 (46%)

Brandon Powell: 14 (31%) — 6 (23%)

Tom Kennedy: 13 (29%) — 6 (23%)

Jermaine Kearse: 5 (11%)

Offensive tackles

Andrew Donnal: 39 (87%) — 1 (4%)

Tyrell Crosby: 39 (87%)

Rick Wagner: 5 (11%)

Taylor Decker: 5 (11%)

Matt Nelson: 1 (2%) — 1 (4%)

Ryan Pope: 1 (2%) — 1 (4%)

Guards/centers

Luke Bowanko: 23 (51%)

Joe Dahl: 18 (40%)

Oday Aboushi: 18 (40%)

Leo Koloamatangi: 17 (38%)

Kenny Wiggins: 14 (31%)

Graham Glasgow: 14 (31%)

Micah St. Andrew: 13 (29%)

Beau Benzschawel: 13 (29%)

Frank Ragnow: 5 (11%)

Observations:

Despite all of the training camp hype, T.J. Hockenson barely played in the preseason opener and did not receive a single target in his six plays.

Interesting to note that Ty Johnson didn’t play a single special teams snap. Many believed one reason he may stick around on the roster is his value as a return specialist, but he didn’t get any opportunities against the Patriots.

The Lions’ second-team offensive tackles played nearly the entire game, with Detroit choosing not to even play Ryan Pope and Matt Nelson, their third-string tackles. Their only snap of the game was the final kneel down.

I suppose you can rest easy knowing what is likely to be the starting offensive line all played significantly less than their second-string counterparts, meaning most of the damage done Thursday night was by reserves.

The Old Dominion rookie receivers led the group in snaps, but neither made a catch against New England despite three combined targets.

Defense:

Defensive end

Eric Lee: 79 (94%) — 2 (8%)

Mitchell Loewen: 53 (63%) — 4 (15%)

Jonathan Wynn: 34 (40%) — 1 (4%)

Romeo Okwara: 6 (7%)

Defensive tackle

Kevin Strong: 51 (61%) — 2 (8%)

John Atkins: 41 (49%) — 2 (8%)

P.J. Johnson: 36 (43%)

Fred Jones: 16 (19%) — 2 (8%)

Darius Kilgo: 15 (18%) — 1 (4%)

Linebackers

Miles Killebrew: 55 (65%) — 10 (38%)

Anthony Pittman: 51 (61%) — 10 (38%)

Jalen Reeves-Maybin: 41 (49%) — 5 (19%)

Tre Lamar: 17 (20%) — 2 (8%)

Jahlani Tavai: 4 (5%) — 2 (8%)

Cornerbacks

Mike Ford: 63 (75%) — 9 (35%)

Amani Oruwariye: 57 (68%) — 7 (27%)

Jamal Agnew: 39 (46%) — 5 (19%)

Dee Virgin: 21 (25%) — 12 (46%)

Andre Chachere: 20 (24%) — 6 (23%)

Justin Coleman: 6 (7%)

Darius Slay: 6 (7%)

Jonathan Alston: 0 (0%) — 1 (4%)

Safety

Andrew Adams: 59 (70%) — 9 (25%)

Will Harris: 57 (68%) — 19 (73%)

Tavon Wilson: 42 (50%) — 7 (27%)

C.J. Moore: 35 (42%) — 11 (42%)

Charles Washington: 14 (17%) — 12 (46%)

Tracy Walker: 6 (7%)

Observations:

Kudos to Eric Lee for almost playing the entire preseason game. And given how often the defense was out there, that’s a heck of a workload. He played in 16 more snaps than any other Lions player on the team.

Darius Slay and Justin Coleman played for a defensive series. After the game, head coach Matt Patricia said this wasn’t a punishment or a sending of a message to Slay.

The safety numbers are quite interesting. Both Andrew Adams and Tavon Wilson got a good chunk of playing time, both on defense and special teams. Wilson made a bigger impression during his playing time, but Adams had a team-high six tackles.

Rookie DBs Will Harris and Amani Oruwariye both got long looks on Thursday. That’s good news, because both could use the game-time reps now. They may not get much playing time during the regular season of their rookie years.

Miles Killebrew did well with his 55 snaps, as the Lions moved him all over in just about every linebacker position out there.

The Lions’ first and second-round rookies combined for 10 total snaps. So much for rookies needing those reps.

Special teams

Don Muhlbach: 9 (35%)

Ryan Santoso: 7 (27%)

Sam Martin: 5 (19%)