Lions vs. Falcons snap counts: Position battle observations

You can tell a lot about the current status of position battles based on how teams are using that. So let’s take a closer look at the Detroit Lions’ snap counts in their preseason game against the Falcons to see what we can deduce about the current camp battles taking place.

It’s worth reminding everyone that the Lions and Falcons opted to cancel the rest of the game after just a single play in the fourth quarter, so there are likely several players who did not play the amount of snaps they were expecting to.

(Note: While I typically use the NFL’s official snap count tracker, those weren’t available on Saturday morning, so I used PFF’s data)

Quarterbacks:

Kyle Allen: 24 snaps (50%)

Hendon Hooker: 24 (50%)

Jared Goff: DNP

As if the statline wasn’t enough to tell you how much better Kyle Allen played than Hendon Hooker on Friday night, the usage of both quarterbacks tells just as much of a story. Despite getting the start, the Lions opted to pull Hooker from the game with five minutes left in the first half after his second fumble of the night. Rather than give Hooker an opportunity to run a four-minute drill in the second quarter, the Lions had seen enough.

And despite only playing just over a quarter’s worth of football, Allen managed to play the same amount of snaps as Hooker, because he successfully led three scoring drives to Hooker’s zero.

Running backs:

Jacob Saylors: 17 — 1 special teams snap

Jabari Small: 16 — 2 special teams snaps

Craig Reynolds: 15 — 5 special teams snaps

Sione Vaki: DNP (possible injury)

Jahmyr Gibbs: DNP

David Montgomery: DNP

Due to another preseason game missed by Sione Vaki, the Lions had to start Craig Reynolds yet again. Reynolds got his bell rung, but thankfully returned. The rest of the game was split between Jacob Saylors and Jabari Small. And while Small got the nod first, Saylors made the bigger impression, rushing for 35 yards on just nine carries and adding another 14 yards receiving. Small managed just 13 yards on five carries.

Wide receivers:

Jackson Meeks: 36 — 5 special teams snaps

Isaac TeSlaa: 30 — 6 special teams snaps

Tom Kennedy: 30 — 3 special teams snaps

Ronnie Bell: 16

Jakobie Keeney-James: 12

Malik Taylor: 8 — 6 special teams snaps

Amon-Ra St. Brown: DNP

Jameson Williams: DNP

Tim Patrick: DNP

Kalif Raymond: DNP

Dominic Lovett: DNP (injury)

Meeks had the most snaps on Friday night and made the most of them, finally offering the Lions their first explosive play of the preseason. Not only did he burn his defender on a 68-yard catch, but he showed tremendous focus pulling the ball in despite almost colliding with an official:

TeSlaa made another strong impression on offense, and while he forced another fair catch as a gunner on special teams, he also had one of Detroit’s many special teams penalties on the night.

Finally, despite only playing on 16 snaps, veteran Ronnie Bell had a strong showing, catching two passes for 26 yards, including a big third-and-9 conversion.

Tight ends:

Shane Zylstra: 21 — 9 special teams snaps

Kenny Yeboah: 21 — 5 special teams snaps

Zach Horton: 18 — 5 special teams snaps

Sam LaPorta: DNP

Brock Wright: DNP

Steven Stilianos: DNP

It was pretty much a three-way split between the Lions’ tight ends, which goes to show you how close the battle is between the two. Zylstra and Yeboah continue to get the early work in games, but all three players appear to still be in it.

Offensive tackle:

Giovanni Manu: 48 — 3 special teams snaps

Mason Miller: 48 — 3 special teams snaps

Penei Sewell: DNP

Taylor Decker: DNP

Dan Skipper: DNP (injury)

Jamarco Jones: DNP (injury)

Justin Herron: DNP (injury)

Both Manu and Miller had to play the entire game at left and right tackle, respectively. That likely wasn’t part of the plan, but reserve tackle Justin Herron suffered an injury in warmups and was spotted in what appeared to be an aircast on his arm.

Guard/center:

Kingsley Eguakun: 27 — 3 special teams snaps

Netane Muti: 24 — 3 special teams snaps

Kayode Awosika: 24 — 3 special teams snaps

Tate Ratledge: 24

Trystan Colon: 18 (injury) — 2 special teams snaps

Michael Niese: 18 - 2 special teams snaps

Colby Sorsdal: 6 (injury) — 1 special teams snap

Christian Mahogany: DNP

Graham Glasgow: DNP

Miles Frazier: DNP (Injured/PUP)

Second-round rookie Tate Ratledge played for nearly the entirety of the first half, only leaving the game when Hooker was pulled late in the second quarter. Sordal initially came in to replace him, but it appears he may have suffered an injury and only played on that single drive.

The backup center job remains up for grabs. Here’s how many center snaps each player played at that position:

Colon (starter): 21

Niese: 17

Eguakun: 10

Colon suffered an arm injury that shortened his night. It’s unclear if it’s serious.

While it looked like Kayode Awosika may have suffered an injury, it’s worth noting that he was in the lineup for all three kicks on special teams in the second half.

Defensive end:

Nate Lynn: 16 — 3 special teams snaps

Al-Quadin Muhammad: 16 — 2 special teams snaps

Isaac Ukwu: 15 — 1 special teams snap

Ahmed Hassanein 13 — 7 special teams snaps

Mitchell Agude: 13 — 4 special teams snaps

Aidan Hutchinson: DNP

Marcus Davenport: DNP

Muhammad and Lynn got the start and both played pretty darn well, all things considered. The depth beyond them saw their opportunities limited thanks to the shortened game.

Technically, it was actually Keith Cooper who got the official start on the edge, but he got the majority of his reps on the interior, so he’s in the below section.

Defensive tackle:

Myles Adams: 19 — 1 special teams snap

Chris Smith: 17 — 3 special teams snaps

Tyleik Williams: 16

Keith Cooper Jr.: 14 — 1 special teams snap

Brodric Martin: 12 — 2 special teams snap

DJ Reader: DNP

Pat O’Connor: DNP (injured)

Roy Lopez: DNP

Tyleik Williams got a good chunk of play for his first NFL action, and while he did not show up on the stat sheet, his ability to eat double teams certainly was a big factor in holding the Falcons to just 22 rushing yards on 11 carries.

It was a quiet day for most of the rest of the interior… except for Brodric Martin. Martin tallied a few pressures, a tackle for loss, and a roughing the passer penalty. It was more good than bad from the former third-round pick, and to make that noticeable of an impact in just 12 snaps is certainly noteworthy.

Linebacker:

Trevor Nowaske: 23 — 9 special teams snaps

Grant Stuard: 22 — 9 special teams snaps

Zach Cunningham: 16 — 4 special teams snaps

Ezekiel Turner: 16 — 4 special teams snaps

Anthony Pittman: 2 — 9 special teams snaps

DaRon Gilbert: 0 — 6 special teams snaps

Jack Campbell: DNP

Alex Anzalone: DNP

Derrick Barnes: DNP

Malcolm Rodriguez: DNP (Injured/PUP)

It’s worth noting that while these numbers look very lopsided, the Falcons ran just 10 offensive plays in the second half. Players like Pittman and Gilbert likely would’ve gotten long looks in the fourth quarter. Still, that says something about their standing with the team.

It was a promising day for Nowaske, who offered some pressure and tallied a tackle for loss. Cunningham and Stuard both continue to make a case for the best primary backup linebacker on defense. It’s a big stock up for all three of these linebackers, while Turner, Pittman, and Gilbert may be in trouble.

Cornerback:

Erick Hallett: 32 — 2 special teams snaps

Dicaprio Bootle: 22 — 8 special teams snaps

Avonte Maddox: 25

Nick Whiteside: 16 — 9 special teams snaps

Tyson Russell: 16

D.J. Miller: DNP

Luq Barcoo: DNP

Terrion Arnold: DNP (injured)

D.J. Reed: DNP

Amik Robertson: DNP

Khalil Dorsey: DNP (Injured/PUP)

The two newest Lions cornerbacks—D.J. Miller and Luq Barcoo—did not play on Friday. It’s unclear if they would’ve played had the game proceeded into the fourth quarter or if the Lions weren’t ready to put them out there.

That left plenty of opportunity for the rest of Detroit’s depth. And while Hallett and Bootle got the most playing time on Friday, both struggled in coverage for most of the game. The Lions cornerback who came out looking the best was Nick Whiteside, who, despite just 16 snaps, notched one of Detroit’s two passes defended on the night.

Given how shorthanded the Lions were at cornerback, Maddox moved from safety to nickel in this game and played most of the night.

Safety:

Ian Kennelly: 28 — 12 special teams snaps

Rock Ya-Sin: 28 — 12 special teams snaps

Loren Strickland: 10 — 11 special teams snaps

Morice Norris: 10 — 1 special teams snaps

Brian Branch: DNP

Kerby Joseph: DNP

With Rock Ya-Sin moving to safety, it pushed Loren Strickland back to the third team. Strickland got the start in the Hall of Fame Game, but it certainly speaks loudly that Kennelly got that opportunity this week. Obviously, Strickland and Norris would’ve gotten more opportunities had it not been for Norris’ scary injury.

Specialists:

Jake Bates: 7

LS Hogan Hatten: 5

Jack Fox: 5

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