Four Downs: These Lions are making most of their ‘prove-it’ deals

First down

If you’re not familiar with the concept of a “prove-it deal,” it’s a one-year contract, typically low-cost and often with incentives, requiring a player to validate their worth as a long-term investment. And in the first year of Detroit’s rebuild under coach Dan Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes, the team essentially leaned on prove-it deals as they navigated the salary cap situation they inherited.

Of the more than a dozen free agents the Lions signed this past offseason, only running back Jamaal Williams netted a multi-year deal, and even that was a modest two-year pact. Everyone else the Lions signed was for a single season, and management made little secret about the majority of those additions having not lived up to exceptions at previous stops, whether due to injury or schematic fit.

In Detroit, where the foundation was anything but set, those signings would have a chance to prove they should be a piece of the puzzle.

Many have long since failed to state their case. Guys like Breshad Perriman, Quinton Dunbar, Corn Elder and Randy Bullock didn’t even survive training camp. And Tyrell Williams, who scored the most lucrative of those one-year deals, got bit by the injury bug early, never getting a chance to show what he could do.

But there has been a small handful who have met and exceeded expectations, who have earned consideration for that long-term deal and deserve to be a building block for the house Campbell and Holmes are building.

None fit that description more than outside linebacker Charles Harris. The former first-round pick, who signed a one-year, $1.75 million contract with the Lions in March, has been able to finally showcase the skill set that made him a commodity coming out of the University of Missouri in 2017.

Harris had one of the more complete performances of his career against Arizona, racking up 12 tackles, five quarterback pressures and 1.5 sacks. He flustered Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray with athleticism and closing speed, playing a key role in Detroit’s defensive performance.

Harris is now up to 7.5 sacks on the season and his 31 pressures more than triple anyone else on the roster. He’s been durable and consistent, proving he’s worthy of retention. What that looks like remains to be seen, but three years, $25 million might be a good starting point.

Beyond Harris, two other players on expiring deals who merit re-signing are wide receiver Josh Reynolds and linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin.

The offense has opened up as Reynolds has gotten acclimated after being claimed off waivers. He’s averaging four receptions for 65 yards the past four games, while serving as the team’s best downfield threat.

As for Reeves-Maybin, his versatility, both on defense and special teams, make him a valuable asset to the roster. Returning from a two-game absence, he played a key part in Sunday’s victory, taking over play-calling duties as injuries racked up in the second level. Seeing a season-high 72 snaps, he responded with a trio of quarterback pressures as a blitzer, two batted passes and five tackles.

Second down

Schematic creativity is typically subtle, with unique and timely play calls sprinkled in among your basic run and pass designs, often set up by those standard plays. And in the weeks since Detroit has asked Ben Johnson to take on a greater role in coordination of the pass game, that creativity has continuing to shine through.

Looking at this week’s game plan, you see Johnson’s hand in Amon-Ra St. Brown’s touchdown, incorporating a play design that isn’t unique by any means, but was new to Detroit’s play book, getting added this week.

The zone-beating concept called for the rookie receiver to block on the snap to steer early defensive attention away from himself before running a shallow cross. Eventually, that stemmed into a vertical route, where open space existed because other routes were designed to draw the attention of the safeties.

It worked to perfection as St. Brown was wide open for the 37-yard score. St. Brown also lined up in the backfield multiple times, even taking a handoff once. What’s important is that look creates a mismatch, and on fourth-and-one, he lined up in the backfield and was able to run a route to the flat. That scored a conversion at the end of the first half, leading to another touchdown.

Finally, little-used fullback Jason Cabinda scored the first touchdown of his career. Working as a tight end (Johnson’s position group), Cabinda executed well, holding his block the right amount of time before breaking off on a delayed route for the score.

Johnson’s fingerprints are all over the scheme and play-calling as the Lions have scored 30 and 29 points in two of the past three games, despite missing many of their top players on offense.

And while it’s too early to make any definitive proclamations, it’s easy to believe Johnson is up for a new title next year. At the very least, he should be named the team’s passing-game coordinator, but, at this rate, taking over as offensive coordinator isn’t out of the question.

Third down

Amani Oruwariye dropped out of the top 10 in Pro Bowl voting among cornerbacks on Monday. It’s humorous, considering he had initially drawn fan attention for four early-season interceptions, which largely had been the result of good fortune more than skill.

But as the season has progressed, Oruwariye has been stepping up his playmaking. In the team’s first win, against the Vikings, he made a diving interception at the goal line, impressively undercutting a route. And he almost had a second pick, but lost the ball while being yanked to the ground in the end zone. Regardless, that came on third down and forced Minnesota to settle for a field goal. Both plays, in hindsight, were instrumental given the Lions won the game by two.

After dropping an interception last week, Oruwariye got back on the sheet with another impressive individual effort against the Cardinals, again leaving his feet to make a diving grab in front of A.J. Green.

It was the pivotal play of the game for Detroit because it negated a fumble on the previous possession while setting up Cabinda’s touchdown on the next play. Instead of potentially having their lead sliced to three, the Lions quickly found themselves up three scores.

Oruwariye might have been overrated and overvalued because of his interceptions early in the season, but he’s unquestionably been playing at a Pro Bowl level down the stretch.

Fourth down

With Sunday’s win, the Lions no longer hold the No. 1 spot in the draft order. That pick is now scheduled to go to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Oh well.

As much as everyone likes to make jokes about tanking, that was never a reality here. This team is going to fight to win every game, and while the lack of talent is reflected in Detroit’s ugly record, the effort has remained constant, while chemistry and cohesion are showing up more and more down the stretch run.

While the Lions aren’t likely to be favored in any of their three remaining games, we probably should accept the possibility they could win another game or two, because the Falcons and Seahawks are both beatable.

With two more wins, the Lions could conceivably drop as far as No. 5 in the draft order, but they do benefit from the Giants (4-10) playing the Bears (4-10) and the Jets (3-11) playing the Jaguars (2-12).

jdrogers@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @Justin_Rogers