Training camp has barely gotten rolling in Detroit, and one of the clearest openings on the roster is already sitting right in front of rookie defensive tackle Skyler Gill-Howard.
Gill-Howard, a sixth-round pick out of Texas Tech, arrived with a real shot to stick, and the Lions just made that path a little easier. Detroit released veteran defensive tackle Jay Tufele before the first full practice of camp, creating another vacancy in a room that was already going to be fought over hard.
The rookie’s case is built on more than draft status. The Lions used the pick they got from the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Tim Patrick trade a year ago to bring him in, and despite the upside, he comes with questions.
Gill-Howard is working back from ankle surgery he had in October, and his final college season was cut short to six games. In that stretch, he logged 13 combined tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and a 55-yard interception return for a touchdown.
There’s also the size issue. At the Combine, he measured just under 6'1" and weighed 280 pounds, which is part of why he wasn’t selected earlier. Still, ESPN’s Field Yates saw a player with a disruptive edge, calling Gill-Howard a "pest" in the pass rush.
Tufele’s departure opens the door, but it doesn’t clear the room. The Lions signed him shortly after the draft in late April after he spent a season with the New York Jets, where he started twice in 12 games and finished with 12 combined tackles over 230 defensive snaps.
Gill-Howard still has veterans to beat out, including Levi Onwuzurike, who is returning from a torn ACL suffered just before training camp last year. And while Vita Vea is highly unlikely to appear at Allen Park after requesting a trade from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the competition for defensive tackle snaps is only beginning.
For Gill-Howard, the timing couldn’t be much better. With Tufele gone and Onwuzurike carrying his own injury history, the rookie has a real chance to make his move over the coming weeks.
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