The Detroit Lions are waiting on their rookies to bring some life to a roster that could use it.
After a quiet Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills, the group’s younger players still feel like they’re sitting on the edge of bigger roles. First-round tackle Blake Miller had been trending in the right direction before an injury kept him out last week.
Second-round edge Derrick Moore hasn’t shown up in the box score yet. Fifth-round defensive back Keith Abney II didn’t play in Week 2.
And sixth-round defensive lineman Skyler Gill-Howard has been the one rookie who’s already flashed a little promise in the middle.
Gill-Howard has at least given the Lions something to work with. In Week 1 against the New Orleans Saints, he was asked to handle the run and held up well, showing strength at the point of attack and the burst that made him such an interesting prospect.
He finished that game with three tackles. Against the Bills in Week 2, he added a quarterback hit.
That kind of contribution matters because all four rookies are tied to position groups that have already had issues this season. And with Week 3 bringing the Jets, there’s a clear chance for some of these young players to start shifting the conversation.
Miller looks like the easiest name to plug back in. The expectation is that he returns at right tackle and pushes Larry Borom aside. Detroit said Miller would have been available if the team weren’t playing on a Thursday, and head coach Dan Campbell sounded optimistic about both Miller and left guard Christian Mahogany, who also missed Week 2 with injury.
“I think both of those guys are going to be okay, barring nothing, no setbacks today,” head coach Dan Campbell said of Miller and left guard Christian Mahogany, who also missed Week 2 with injury.
That would be a welcome development for the Lions, because Borom has not been getting the job done. He has already allowed 11 pressures, two sacks and two quarterback hits in 2026.
Moore is the next rookie under the microscope, and Detroit needs something from him on the edge. He had a solid preseason, but the NFL production still hasn’t arrived. Through 35 career snaps, he has zero tackles, zero sacks and zero pressures.
Detroit Lions DE Derrick Moore
35 career snaps
0 tackles, 0 sacks, 0 pressures
- DetroitSportsPodcast (@DetroitPodcast) September 21, 2026
The Lions are thin enough up front that they can’t wait forever for Moore to settle in. After the way Detroit got worked in the run and pass game Thursday night, there’s urgency here. If Moore can at least hold the edge against the run and take advantage of the attention Aidan Hutchinson draws as a pass rusher, that would help this front seven right away.
Abney’s situation is a little different. He was a healthy scratch in Week 2 after making his NFL debut in the opener against the Saints. In that game, he played 30 total snaps, including 25 on defense at nickel and five on special teams.
He looked mostly fine sharing nickel duties with Roger McCreary while Christian Izien was out. Once Izien came back, the Lions kept Abney out last week.
But Campbell’s comments suggest that may not be a long-term thing. He said the rookie could also “sprinkle back there a little bit” as a reserve safety.
“For a rookie, he's a pretty dang smart, conscientious, aware football player that's got a ton of room to really take off,” Campbell said. “So, that's a good sign.
But, yeah, it can be. He's young, you know, he's another one.
He just needs reps and reps. But if we need it, that'll be a guy who may have to go in for us.”
That makes Abney another rookie worth watching as the Lions prepare for a Jets team coming off a deflating loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night.
For a team with plenty of holes, even one or two rookie breakouts could make a real difference. It would help in the short term, and it would matter even more for a roster whose biggest stars are getting older.
In Other News...
Lions Fans Are Losing Faith But Still See One Immediate Chance
A rough Week 2 has clearly taken some shine off the Lions early-season buzz, at least in the eyes of the fan base. In the latest SB Nation Reacts survey sponsored by FanDuel Sportsbook, confidence in the direction of the organization slipped from the previous week, and fewer than half of respondents said they still felt good about where things are headed.
Even so, the mood is not close to panic just yet, because Detroit has an immediate chance to steady itself in Week 3 against the New York Jets. Fans may be cooling on the bigger picture after the loss, but the upcoming matchup still looks like the kind of spot where the Lions can quickly remind everyone why optimism had been running so high a week ago. [Read more 🡒]
Amon-Ra St. Brown's Bills Fallout Just Got More Complicated
The aftermath of the Lions Week 2 loss in Buffalo has extended well beyond the final whistle, with Amon-Ra St. Brown among the players hit by the NFL for postgame discipline tied to celebration-related penalties. St. Brown was fined $59,704 for multiple unsportsmanlike conduct infractions, adding another layer to a night that already left Detroit with plenty to sort through.
He was not alone in feeling the leagues reach, either. Five other Lions players also drew fines for a range of violations, including Jameson Williams, Jahmyr Gibbs, Penei Sewell, Tyler Lacy and Devin White, pushing Detroits total in Week 2 past $120,000. For a team still trying to settle in after a tough loss, the financial hit is a reminder that the fallout in Buffalo reached well beyond the scoreboard. [Read more 🡒]
Three Underused Lions Could Decide More Than Fans Expect Vs Jets
Through two games of the 2026 season, the Lions have gotten only modest early returns from a few players who may still matter plenty as the year unfolds. Kerry Wonnum, Jalen McCreary and TeSlaa have all been around the action without making much of a dent yet, but that can change quickly in a league where roles expand fast and one strong Sunday can alter a rotation.
Week 3 against the Jets gives Detroit a chance to see whether that quiet start was just a slow opening or the beginning of something more limited. Each of those players is in position for more playing time and a bigger statistical footprint, and for a team trying to stack wins early, even the lesser-used pieces can end up shaping how far the depth chart reaches. [Read more 🡒]