The Jarrad Davis mention is interesting. The staff has talked about putting player in positions to do what they do best and rushing the passer was one of the few aspects in which Davis occasionally flashed. He was at times quite the weapon on those delayed blitzes.
Good article. Yep, this is one to watch. I am looking at this list thinking injuries are gong to play a role here before the final list is determined:
- Hutchinson
- Charles Harris
- Romeo Okwara
- Josh Paschal
- Julian Okwara
- Austin Bryant
- Jarrad Davis
- James Houston
6 guys might make the final cut as I think Romeo will be a PUP guy. Normally I would think 5 guys so 5 with Romeo also. 2 get cut from this list and maybe 3.
I really want James Houston to make this roster. Seems like it may be time to trade a guy like Austin Bryant. Hell, Julian Okwara is not off scholarship too. I think Jarrad Davis is the most likely to get cut at this point. That is a list with a TON of potential though.
This also means that Michael Brockers is likely a dedicated DT too.
I’ve got my money on Bryant. 
…then JOkwara & Houston tied after that
In 2018 especially, he had 6 sacks and several QB hits blitzing. His instincts as an off ball linebacker suck, putrid in pass coverage, and not very good vs the run either. But if you can tell him just go smash the QB and take the thinking out of it, he was decent at it.
Reminds me of how Will Harris wasn’t bad at corner last year at the end of the season, yet at safety he had no clue how to read an offense. But, at corner he had much less thinking and diagnosing to do.
The question then becomes is that one thing he occasionally does really well justify keeping him on the roster over unproven but higher upside players?
Houston will most-likely be on the practice squad, unless he gets like 8 sacks in the preseason.
Risky though to put a 6th rounder on the practice squad, any team can claim him and he’s gone. I’ve always thought rookie draft picks should be protected for 1 year on a practice squad, but they aint.
Probably but it’s possible he makes the opening day roster. It all depends on how quickly he can learn the mike.
They are to an extent. If he makes it through the initial release and is signed to the practice squad Detroit has the option to put him on the roster if another team tries to sign him.
Didn’t he play some off the ball LB at Florida and was very average at it? I think theyll have him in a similar role to Julian Okwara, playing that hybrid rusher on the line OLB spot.
Wasn’t he the one they were talking about trying to simplify things for because he was overwhelmed?
He played middle linebacker at Florida for 3 years and was pretty good from what I’ve read. He was the one they scaled back though.
37 tackles and 3.5 sacks was his best season at Florida, no int’s, no passes defended.
Maybe even below average to be honest.
That’s tough to say off raw stats alone. I’d have to see film and know what they were asking of him. It’s also possible he wasn’t a starter for whatever reason. Maybe he doesn’t process the game well. That could be why he was moved to edge. He could very well be a see ball get ball kind of player.
The good news is the Lions are actually going to have to make some difficult decisions this year at some positions because the depth has improved.
It’s about freaking time we had a roster with excess player that other teams really want.
Austin Bryant has been underwhelming as a pro. Injuries have hampered him. He’s only had 4.5 sacks as a pro…which all came last year. This is the last season he is under contract with the Lions, so I imagine this camp will be huge for his future with our team.
Can Houston or Cornell unseat him? We’ll see once the camp battles commence. I just don’t see them sending Houston to the PS. I think the last spot is between Cornell and Bryant.
all of sudden we have some good edge players and good CB’s who are fighting for jobs…
To me, Davis is the kind of guy - like Van Noy - who is used improperly in Detroit and then goes elsewhere and is reasonably successful. He didn’t all of a sudden forget how to play football when he got here.
I don’t know Harris is apparently “excelling” this offseason at CB which is much more substantial(if true) then a LB who, for the most part, only has 1 dimension to his game and that’s blitzing.
If the staff can’t get Davis to be, at least a passable run stuffer to go with his blitzing ability I don’t know how he stays on the roster.