The Detroit Lions are likely to be without left guard Christian Mahogany in their Week 2 matchup against the Buffalo Bills. However, head coach Dan Campbell made it clear that they signed his backup, Ben Bartch, in free agency for a reason.
The team is confident in what he showed them in Week 1, relieving Mahogany, and they think he will only get better as he plays more.
“There was some real good and some that wasn’t so good, just inconsistent, a little rusty,” said Campbell. “He’s only going to get 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 we’re gonna see a lot more moving forward.”
Perhaps Campbell had a Freudian slip, or perhaps he only meant in the upcoming game, but he did say that we will be seeing a lot more of Bartch this season. That could have a say in the status of Mahogany moving forward.
Detroit Lions Express Confidence in Ben Bartch
Mahogany started in 11 games for the Lions last year. However, he struggled at times and got hurt as well. So, the team wanted to be protected in case something happened.
They signed Bartch, who is in his seventh NFL season and has 24 career starts. Bartch was expected to be the starter for the 49ers last season. He started the first two games, but was placed on the IR. By the time he returned from injury, the 49ers had moved on.
Entering the season, the Lions made it clear that when he was healthy, he was right with Mahogany in the starting competition. If Bartch were healthy all offseason, the team might have started him in Week 1.
However, he missed a good chunk of the offseason with a concussion, and the team went with Mahogany, who was at practice more.
Lions Could Shift to Bartch at Left Guard
This is why Campbell mentioning Bartch getting better moving forward is such a big deal. When Bartch is healthy, he might be an upgrade over a healthy Mahogany. Now that the team put him in the lineup and he is shaking the rust off, it would not make sense to pull him for a player who could end up being a downgrade.
So, Bartch should be treating the next game as if it is an audition to enter the starting lineup. Mahogany has a hip injury, and there is no telling when he will return. However, the team will be more cautious with his timetable if Bartch can stay healthy.
The key is health for Bartch. He has only been active for 55 games over the first six seasons of his career. That means he missed more than seven games per season on average due to injury. Bartch might hold the job down for the meantime, but by the time Mahogany is healthy, Bartch could be out again.
Dan Campbell Hints at Bigger Role for Lions Veteran