Detroit Lions: 5 Players Under Most Pressure to Perform This Preseason
The anticipation for the Detroit Lions season is building with the kickoff of training camp. It's also ramped up the pressure for five players either on the cusp of the playing rotation or the roster.
Queen might have been describing the latter group when Freddie Mercury crooned that pressure "puts people on streets." Here, it boils down to one player whose ceiling and floor for the 2015 season couldn't get much wider, considering his career is possibly on the line.
The rest of the players included are under a different kind of pressure. Injuries and team-wide improvement require that these four men step up and shine in their expanded roles, which will only ramp up the media and fan anticipation.
DE Devin Taylor
1 of 5
Jason Jones is the unquestioned starter at this point. However, the answer of his availability for Week 1 or beyond is unknown, since he began training camp on the PUP list.
That puts the onus squarely on Devin Taylor.
While the Lions—and most teams—aren't working with much of a depth chart yet, Taylor is Jones' backup. He'll be the one thrust into the starting lineup to set the edge against the run and hopefully provide a little pass rush on passing downs.
But can he handle the job?
Taylor started out well. His rookie season provided flashes of talent with 21 quarterback pressures in 177 pass-rushing snaps that paired well with his 10 defensive stops, per Pro Football Focus.
Things tailed off last year. Taylor couldn't beat out Darryl Tapp and saw 81 fewer snaps in 2014 than the year prior, resulting in just 11 quarterback pressures and seven stops.
This is a big preseason and regular season for Taylor. If he doesn't show improvement, the Lions will be forced to look elsewhere next offseason for help at the position.
DE Larry Webster
2 of 5
Larry Webster isn't swimming in the boiling pot that Devin Taylor finds himself in.
The fourth-round project was placed on the 53-man roster only in an effort to keep him. He didn't see a single snap of action and spent the year continuing his football education, since he only played one season in college.
Now Detroit needs to see some return on its investment.
The Lions' website lists Taylor as 10 pounds heavier than his NFL combine weight. The added muscle, in addition to a year watching Ezekiel Ansah and George Johnson excel, should lend some credence to head coach Jim Caldwell's late-December statement to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press:
"Don't be surprised. He has made leaps and bounds in terms of strides in his ability to rush the passer. He's tough. The (coaches) do some extra work with him after practice and they've been raving about what he's been able to accomplish and just watching him kind of grow and develop. So at some point in time, he's going to play and play well for us.
"
With Jason Jones' injury and Johnson's departure, Detroit is banking on that time being this year. The Lions generated the fifth-most sacks in the league rushing four defenders in 2014. If that trend is going to continue, Webster must take a huge step forward—and then beat the tackle and explode toward the quarterback.
OT Cornelius Lucas
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LaAdrian Waddle's injury doesn't carry as much mystery as Jason Jones' ailment, but it arguably causes more anxiety among the coaching staff and fans.
The third-year offensive tackle was probably not healthy all year after suffering a calf injury in the season opener. He battled a malady of injuries until an ACL tear finished off his season in Week 15.
His status for Week 1 is still unclear. If the former rookie half-season sensation can't go, Cornelius Lucas will be tapped to plug the hole.
There's no doubt that Lucas should feel more comfortable than he did last season. He struggled on the right side, giving up six sacks, four quarterback hits and 17 hurries in 526 snaps, per Pro Football Focus.
Hopefully, the shift to a power-based rushing attack will allow the large man to leverage his length. And a full offseason working on his right-side technique after a lifetime spent as a left tackle should bring about some improvement.
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WR Ryan Broyles
4 of 5
You knew who the edge-of-the-roster player was as soon as you skimmed the introduction slide.
It's been a long road for Ryan Broyles, the front office, the coaching staff and the fans. Injuries have dampened the enthusiasm of his presumed breakout game against the Houston Texans three long years ago.
That six-catch, 126-yard performance had everything. There was explosiveness out of cuts and quickness after the catch to combine with soft hands. He looked like a No. 2 receiver on the rise instead of the did not play-coach's decision (DNP-CD) he's become.
The years of debate will finally conclude over the next month. Either Broyles finds himself equal to the task and forces Detroit to put him on the field, or the team finally cuts ties with yet another second-round prospect.
TE Eric Ebron
5 of 5
You also knew as soon as you saw the headline in your Team Stream app that Eric Ebron was going to close out this slideshow.
Obviously, Ebron's rookie output of 25 receptions for 248 yards and a touchdown wasn't enough to justify his lofty draft status. And most of you by now have read countless articles about how the best tight ends make a huge jump between their first and second years, giving fans hope that this 2014 will look dramatically different for Ebron.
But that hope won't save Ebron from the mob's torches, should he fail for a second season. He must show he's developed chemistry with quarterback Matthew Stafford and understands the offense well enough to take advantage of his natural advantages.
Ebron joined his quarterback and a group of wide receivers in Georgia for private workouts. Recent acquisition Lance Moore told Josh Katzenstein of the Detroit News that Ebron "looked fast, looked strong, looked like he was good in and out of his transitions." Moore also added "[h]e caught the ball fairly well, which everybody's been talking about."
Obviously, Ebron will be on the roster next season barring some crazy turn of events. But this season will be a huge indicator of his career arc, making this preseason the first sign on things to come.
All advanced stats, grades and positional rankings are courtesy of Pro Football Focus.
Brandon Alisoglu is a Detroit Lions Featured Columnist who has written about the Lions on multiple sites. He also co-hosts a Lions-centric podcast, Lions Central Radio. Yell at him on Twitter about how wrong he is @BrandonAlisoglu.
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