Blake Miller came into the NFL with the kind of durability résumé teams love to brag about. At Clemson, the Lions’ first-round pick never missed a game in three seasons and rattled off 54 straight starts.
That streak suddenly looked in danger Monday when Detroit’s injury report listed Miller as a non-participant with a knee injury during a walkthrough practice. With the Lions headed to Buffalo on Thursday for a short-week matchup, a quick turnaround seemed like a real hurdle.
But Miller’s tone after practice was a lot more encouraging than the injury report.
“I’m doing everything I humanly can to get my body feeling the best it can feel. Even with the progress just today that I’ve made, I’m happy, and I’m optimistic,” Miller said.
Dan Campbell wasn’t ready to promise anything, but he didn’t rule Miller out either.
“It’s really tough to say. We’re going to know a lot more tomorrow,” Campbell said.
“I mean, we really will. It’s really hard to say.”
Miller said he couldn’t tie the injury to one specific snap or play. Instead, he felt something was “weird” on the sideline, and once the adrenaline faded after he got home, the issue became more noticeable.
From there, he moved quickly to get ahead of it, arriving “as early as I could” to begin rehab and “nip this in the bud.”
If Miller can’t make it, Detroit has a veteran fallback in Larry Borom. He has 38 starts across five NFL seasons, including 11 last year with the Dolphins.
The picture at left guard looks less promising. Christian Mahogany is considered more of a long shot for Thursday, though Campbell said the injury should not be viewed as serious or long-term.
“I don’t think this is something serious long-term, but it could be tough to get him ready for Thursday,” Campbell said.
Ben Bartch handled more than three quarters in Mahogany’s place against the Saints, and Campbell said the veteran was shaking off some rust. Even so, he likes where Bartch is headed.
“I thought there was some real good and there was some that wasn’t so good. Just inconsistent, a little rusty, which I wouldn’t say was that abnormal,” Campbell said.
“I mean, he got a few reps, he got that last week, and so he’s only going to be better as we keep going here. He’s played; he’s a veteran in this league, and the good was really good, and I anticipate that’s what we’re going to see a lot more of moving forward.”
In Other News...
Lions Have Clear Risers And One Growing Concern Before Buffalo
The Lions got the kind of win that can strengthen a locker room and sharpen a coaching staffs eye at the same time. After building a 21-point lead and then surviving overtime against the Saints, Detroit had plenty to like from a handful of players who helped steady the finish, including Alex Anzalone, DAndre Swift and Aidan Hutchinson, with several rookies also making useful contributions along the way.
Buffalo is waiting on Thursday night, which means the turnaround is short and the margin for slippage is thinner than usual. A comeback win can buy some goodwill, but the Lions still have a growing concern to sort through before they line up against one of the AFCs tougher opponents, especially after letting a big lead turn into a longer, more stressful afternoon than it needed to be. [Read more 🡒]
Lions May Have Finally Found The Defensive Edge They Needed
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The challenge now is making that edge a weekly identity instead of a promising flash. Detroit still has work to do in the secondary, and the pass rush will not always get to feast the way it did in the opener. But if the Lions can keep forcing quarterbacks off their spots while the back end tightens up, they may have found the kind of defensive formula that changes the tone of their season. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Already Face A Jahmyr Gibbs Problem They Can't Ignore
The Lions spent the offseason reshaping their backfield around Jahmyr Gibbs, moving on from David Montgomery with the idea that Gibbs would become the featured running back. In the opener against the Saints, that plan was on full display, as Gibbs handled a massive share of the offense and turned it into 186 yards from scrimmage while looking every bit like the centerpiece Detroit wants him to be.
The bigger question now is how often that kind of workload can hold up. Dan Campbell acknowledged after the game that what Gibbs took on in the opener may not be something the Lions can ask of him every week, and that leaves Detroit with an immediate depth issue behind him. For a team built to lean on the run, finding a reliable backup plan is no small matter, especially with the season still just getting started. [Read more 🡒]