The Detroit Lions first batch of OTAs are starting Tuesday will run through Thursday with the second batch of OTAs coming May 31-June 2 and then the final batch will be June 6-June 9. So while we may be far away from training camp, which will come in late July or early August, position battles are going to take off, so let’s look at five big ones for the Lions this offseason.
Center: Travis Swanson vs Graham Glasgow
Travis Swanson was the starter at center last year for the Lions offensive line unit that Pro Football Focus ranked as 24th in the league. After his first year as a starter, there were a lot of questions in terms of his long-term viability as the start of the future. Glasgow was the Lion’s third round draft pick out of Michigan. Look for him to challenge Swanson for the starting position this summer.
Prediction: Travis Swanson starts the season as the starter, but Glasgow takes over at some point once he gets more acclimated to the Lions offense.
Defensive Tackle: Tyrunn Walker vs A’Shawn Robinson
With Haloti Ngata firmly planted at one of the two defensive tackle positions, the other one is up for grabs. Last year Tyrunn Walker broke his fibula in early October so it remains unknown how he will be once he comes back from this serious injury. A’Shawn Robinson is the Lion’s second round pick out of Alabama who has been an absolute monster in the SEC since he was a true freshman in 2013 and has remained healthy his whole collegiate career.
Prediction: With A'Shawn Robinson, health is going to be a concern. And with Walker only having a one year contract, it’s going to make more sense for the Lions to start giving reps to Robinson.
Strong Safety: Tavon Wilson vs Miles Killebrew
Both Wilson and Killebrew are new to the Lions team, with Wilson coming via a free agency from the Patriots while Killebrew was a fourth round draft pick this year. The two should be on a pretty level playing field going into the training camp. Wilson only played in five games last season with the Patriots and the former second rounder out of Illinois only recorded one tackle. Killebrew is a rookie coming out of Southern Utah, making the jump from the Big Sky conference in the FCS to the NFL is not going to be easy.
Prediction: The two will split reps, with Wilson taking the majority of the passing downs and the hard-hitting Killebrew working as a run stopper, but look for the Lions to possibly make an upgrade to someone with a bit more experience.
Wide Receiver: Golden Tate vs Marvin Jones
While this position battle might not be that important because the loser is just going to be the second wide receiver and get almost an equal amount of playing time, it’s still going to be super interesting to look at who the Lions name as the number one receiver. But that name might be mainly symbolic. To truly see who the Lion’s number one wide receiver is we’re going to have to wait until the end of the year and compare stats between the two.
Prediction: Golden Tate will be named the number one starter, but the two will probably have pretty similar stat lines in terms of catches and the amount that they get thrown to.
Long Snapper: Don Muhlbach vs Jimmy Landes
What makes this battle interesting is that the Lions drafted a long snapper, which happens very rarely. In 2015, the Patriots were the only to draft a long snapper and in 2016 the Lions were the only team to do so. So while Muhlbach has been the long snapper for the franchise since 2005, the Lions have shown that they’re invested in the rookie Landes out of Baylor, and it doesn’t make sense for the team to carry two long snappers.
Prediction: Jimmy Landes. There is no way that the Lions carry two long snappers on their roster and it makes no sense to use a draft pick and a long snapper just to cut him.