On Tuesday the Detroit Lions will report to mandatory minicamp. It’s a big week for every player on the team and it will be the firs time that we’ll get to see some of the new guys like DJ Reader report and mix it up with his new teammates.
This is also a time to really put yourself on the map and make a good impression before the team takes a break ahead of training camp in late July. It’s time for some guys to really show what they can do to make sure there’s a spot for them at camp.
Here’s four Lions that need to have a big week at minicamp:
Donovan Peoples-Jones
Lions GM Brad Holmes has talked about the Lions going out and getting a receiver before or during camp this summer. Peoples-Jones can really sway what that decison looks like ahead of camp if he’s able to come out and have a solid week and show that he has chemistry with Jared Goff.
The Lions could still be looking to add to the receiver room, but if Peoples-Jones has a good week, the Lions may be looking to add a lower level receiver as opposed to one that can take on a big role right away.
James Houston
Houston had a fun rookie year and there’s some thought that he’s just locked in for a spot based off of that. There’s some truth to that. Houston is a talented pass rusher and the Lions will assuredly keep him around for that.
The trouble with Houston has always been that you don’t know what else he can do besides rush the passer. The optimal thing to do with Houston would be to keep him on the field all the time. But at this point we’ve only ever seen him be one dimensional.
This is a big week for Houston to show the progress he’s made and try to get that number one spot on the other side of the line going into camp.
Mathieu Betts
Speaking of pass rushers, here’s Betts first chance to show what he can do against NFL competition. The Lions are going to know right away if he’s someone that can stick or if he’s a CFL player that went up against bad competition.
The side of the line opposite Aidan Hutchinson is kind of up in the air right now and it’s anyone’s spot to earn. Betts has a long shot to get there, but if he can ball out at minicamp, that puts him a step closer and guarantees he’s going to camp.
Brodric Martin
It’s time to take a step forward for Martin. His rookie year was not great. He got one chance to play regular season football and the biggest lesson learned is that was not ready for that.
Now Martin has showed up to OTAs is tremendous shape and is ready to show what he can do. He’ll have a good group of guys to learn from including Reader who said he was eager to get to work with him.
Martin has a real shot to put his best foot forward and show everyone that he can play the NFL game at minicamp. Let’s see how he does.