3 Detroit Lions who shined bright in preseason opener vs. Bills

The Detroit Lions opened up their 2021 preseason schedule on Friday night against the Buffalo Bills and though they may have lost the game 16-15, there were certainly some players who played very well.

Here are the three players who stood out the most against the Bills.

Kevin Strong (DL)

Kevin Strong is a player that I have loved ever since he arrived in Detroit and his play on Friday made me love him just a little more. Strong led the Lions with 6 tackles (one for a loss) and a forced fumble against the Bills. Following the game, head coach Dan Campbell made it a point to tell the media that Strong does something every single day in practice that stands out.

Derrick Barnes (LB)

Derrick Barnes may be a rookie and be may have missed some time in training camp but he proved on Friday that he is going to be a force to reckon with moving forward. As you can see in the highlight below, Barnes has great closing speed when it comes to getting to making a tackle and when he is called upon to blitz, he can get to the QB in a hurry.

Former Purdue LB Derrick Barnes patrolling sideline-to-sideline and putting pressure on Davis Webb with great speed.

Great debut for Barnes in Detroit. pic.twitter.com/GgA2LVrykh

— Cam Mellor (@CamMellor) August 14, 2021

Julian Okwara (DE)

I have not seen the snap counts yet but Julian Okwara may have played more than any other player (regardless of team) on Friday night. Though he did not get a ton of tackles, Okwara did pick up a sack, a tackle for loss, and a QB hit against the Bills. Following the game, Dan Campbell noted that Okwara needs the reps and he certainly got those in the first preseason game.

Issa sack. @julian_okwara #BUFvsDET | 📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/HwirFtbXrJ

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) August 14, 2021

Honorable Mention: RB Craig Reynolds and RB Dedrick Mills

To be honest, I was not impressed by the Lions offense on Friday but considering I did not expect Dan Campbell to show much of the playbook (less motion than in practice, etc.) I cannot knock it too much.

That being said, two players who did impress were running backs Craig Reynolds and Dedrick Mills. Reynolds, who literally introduced himself to his teammates when he got into the huddle for the first time on Friday night, led the team with 49 yards on just six carries, including a 24-yard touchdown run. Mills was not too bad himself as he carried the ball five times for 32 yards.