Detroit Lions snap counts from preseason loss to Jacksonville Jaguars
The Detroit Lions continued their preseason schedule on Saturday when they hosted the Jacksonville Jaguars at Ford Field. If you happened to tune in for the game, you witnessed the most preseason of preseason games as the Lions did absolutely NOTHING on offense on their way to a 25-7 loss. With that being said, following the game, Lions head coach Dan Campbell reminded everyone that this game was about evaluating specific players to see if they have what it takes to help the team. Let’s take a look at which players played the most, and the least, against the Jaguars.
Detroit Lions Snap Counts
Here are the Detroit Lions snap counts from Saturday’s game (Via Sports Illustrated):
Offense
Quarterbacks
- Nate Sudfeld: (30) 60%
- Teddy Bridgewater: (20) 40%
Teddy Bridgewater got the start and looked extremely rusty, as expected. Sudfeld looked like garbage other than one drive. Adrian Martinez did not play a single snap.
Running backs
- Craig Reynolds: (26) 52% — Five special teams snaps (20%)
- Jermar Jefferson: (16) 32% — Four special teams snaps (16%)
- Benny Snell: (8) 16% — Four special teams snaps (16%)Â
- Jason Cabinda: (7) 14% — Seven special teams snaps (28%)
- Devine Ozigbo: 11 special teams snaps (44%)
Craig Reynolds got the start and he looked like the best running back for the Lions, despite running behind a backup offensive line that really did not block for anyone on Saturday. In my mind, he is in the lead for the Lions’ RB 3 spot.Â
Tight ends
- James Mitchell: (31) 62% — Nine special teams snaps (36%)
- Brock Wright: (20) 40% — Two special teams snaps (8%)
- Darrell Daniels: (10) 20% — 10 special teams snaps (40%)
- Daniel Helm: (1) 2% — Seven special teams snaps (28%)
Rookie Sam LaPorta got the day off, which left the majority of the snaps for James Mitchell and Brock Wright. It is pretty much a lock that LaPorta, Mitchell, and Wright are the three tight ends who make the initial 53-man roster.Â
Wide receivers
- Antoine Green: (38) 76% — Eight special teams snap (32%)
- Chase Cota: (35) 70% — Six special teams snaps (24%)
- Dylan Drummond: (31) 62%Â
- Trinity Benson: (14) 28%
- Avery Davis: (11) 22%
- Jason Moore: (2) 4%
Green, played a lot of snaps, but he only caught 1 pass. Cota only had a couple of catches, but one was for a touchdown. He also played well on special teams, especially when it came to returning punts.
Offensive linemen
- Germain Ifedi: (27) 54% — One special teams snap (4%)
- Colby Sorsdal: (27) 54% — One special teams snap (4%)
- Bobby Hart: (27) 49% — One special teams snap (4%)
- Brad Cecil: (27) 54%Â
- Matt Nelson: (27) 54%Â
- Darrin Paulo: (23) 46% — One special teams snap (4%)
- Kayode Awosika: (23) 46% — One special teams snap (4%)
- Alex Molette: (23) 46%
- Connor Galvin: (20) 40% — One special teams snap (4%)
- Ryan Swoboda: (15) 30%
- Obinna Eze: (11) 22%
Honestly, the Lions may have been better off if NONE of these guys played a single snap because, as a unit, they were horrendous. Dan Campbell has made it clear that the Lions are still looking for a swing tackle to step up and he said the team still wants more depth on the interior.
Defense
Defensive linemen
- Levi Onwuzurike: (31) 42% — Four special teams snaps (16%)
- Christian Covington: (30) 41% — Seven special teams snaps (29%)
- Brodric Martin: (27) 36%
- Benito Jones: (26) 35% — Four special teams snaps (16%)
- Cory Durden: (22) 30%Â
- Josh Paschal: (15) 20% — Four special teams snaps (16%)
- Chris Smith: (14) 19%Â
- John Cominsky: (13) 18%
- Isaiah Buggs: (11) 15%Â
John Cominsky may have only played 13 snaps, but he made pretty much all of them count as he was one of the standout players on the Lions’ defense.
Linebackers
- Romeo Okwara: (47) 64%
- Julian Okwara: (45) 61% — Seven special teams snaps (28%)
- James Houston: (36) 49% — 15 special teams snaps (60%)
- Jack Campbell: (32) 43% — Seven special teams snaps (28%)
- Anthony Pittman: (31) 42% — 11 special teams snaps (44%)
- Jalen Reeves-Maybin: (27) 36% — 11 special teams snaps (44%)
- Malcolm Rodriguez: (24) 32% — Seven special teams snaps (28%)
- Trevor Nowaske: (19) 26% — 13 special teams snaps (52%)
- Derrick Barnes: (15) 20%
Julian Okwara took a step back after a great performance against the Giants last week. James Houston plashed his brilliance by picking up a sack and four tackles for loss. Jack Campbell played into the third quarter and showed his sideline-to-sideline capabilities. Following the game, Dan Campbell said that Jack played a lot because he did not get as many reps during the joint practice sessions.
Defensive backs
- Starling Thomas V: (55) 74% — 11 special teams snaps (44%)
- Steven Gilmore: (55) 74% — Five special teams snaps (20%)
- Brandon Joseph: (50) 68% — 10 special teams snaps (40%)
- Chase Lucas: (36) 49% –16 special teams snaps (64%)
- Brady Breeze: (28) 38% — 13special teams snaps (52%)
- Saivion Smith: (26) 35% — Seven special teams snaps (28%)
- Tracy Walker: (20) 27%Â
- Ifeatu Melifonwu: (24) 32% — Seven special teams snaps (28%)
- Khalil Dorsey: (19) 26% — 12 special teams snaps (48%)
- Colby Richardson: (19) — Four special teams snaps (16%)
- Will Harris: (17) 23% — Seven special teams snaps (28%)
Starling Thomas was great at returning kicks. Steven Gilmore got beat once but redeemed himself by intercepting a pass.
Special teams
- Scott Daly: (9) 36%
- Jack Fox: (9) 36%
- Riley Patterson: (3) 12%
Parker Romo did not get into the game, but the Detroit Lions offense did not exactly give him much of an opportunity to get a chance.
What’s Next for the Detroit Lions?
Up next for the Detroit Lions is their final preseason game, on the road, against the Carolina Panthers. That game will be played on Friday night beginning at 8 p.m. ET. As of now, Dan Campbell has not announced whether or not the starters will get some action, though we expect they will. It is also unclear whether or not the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Bryce Young, will suit up for the Panthers, or if Frank Reich will rest his starters.
