Craig Reynolds has barely gotten to know his new teammates on the Detroit Lions, and already, he’s had a pair of rushing touchdowns to his credit and a strong start to his career with the team that may earn him a spot on the roster or the practice squad.
Quickly, Reynolds burst on the scene with a big performance against the Buffalo Bills, and he followed that up with another solid night against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The crazy thing? Reynolds might only just be getting comfortable with his team’s offensive attack, meaning the sky could truthfully be the limit for his potential.
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Speaking to the media after practice on Tuesday, August 24 in an interview posted to DetroitLions.com, Reynolds was asked how he is feeling with some time under his belt. Not unexpectedly, Reynolds admits that things are starting to round into form even more as he continues to learn the offense and the expectations.
“Definitely more confident, another week of practice, another week of reps, getting to learn the offense, the terminology, at the end of the day football is football, power is power, counter is counter, it’s just learning the terminology, how they want it run and the way they want things done. Definitely felt more confident going into the second week,” he said.
Going into the third week, that confidence could only be expected to grow, which could help Reynolds in his quest to stick around. Thus far, how has Reynolds set out to win a job? Simply by being himself, working hard and not letting things get too big mentally.
“Just being me, working hard, controlling what I can to be honest. That’s the only way really to separate. yourself. Work hard, be you, and that’s what I try to really do,” Reynolds explained.
So far, that approach has worked out well for Reynolds, and he has done all of those things and then some. He’s been hard to ignore for the Lions, and may have made a strong enough impression in a short enough amount of time to fight his way on the roster. At the very least, he will make the decision tough on the staff, which is the goal of any player this time of year.
Craig Reynolds Credits Work With College for Staying Ready
Given he was out of the game for a while, how did Reynolds stay ready for action where he could come to Detroit and make such a positive immediate impact? He credits his college coaches and program at Kutztown for helping keep him in shape and football ready while he waited for an opportunity.
“I trained at home at Kutztown with my receivers coaches and running back coaches in college four times a week. To be honest I practiced in uppers, I was always in football shape, wore the helmet and shoulder pads. I had access to the equipment I needed. They kept me ready,” he explained. “So I appreciate them for allowing me to come back and having the opportunity to stay ready. For the most part just going out there four times a week. I was practicing at Kutztown for the most part.”
As he said, that was only a positive for him, as it kept him mentally and physically ready not just by training, but by trying to simulate game repetitions.
“Our goal when we worked out in the offseason was to make everything as close to a live game rep,” Reynolds explained. “You can’t get 11 guys on 11 guys when you are training. I had a bunch of help. There was sometimes five to six guys out there helping me, and just trying to make the reps as realistic as we could. Definitely helps I feel, definitely helps.”
If Reynolds ends up making the team, he may have this group of coaches and staff to thank for keeping him in proper football shape to attack the field. They might have more to do with his readiness than anyone in the end.
Reynolds’ Stats and Highlights
When Reynolds entered the mi in Detroit, he came to the Lions short on NFL experience but long on intrigue given his work in college and what he did in a short time in the NFL. He came into the league as an undrafted free agent of the Washington Football Team in 2019, then signing with the Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars in 2020.
Here’s some highlights from when he played at small-school Kutztown College:
This swap may subtract from the defense but add a bit to the offense, being Reynolds was solid in college, ending up as Kutztown’s third all-time leading rusher with 2,650 yards on the ground. He was also second in school history with 5,277 all-purpose yards to his credit.
These numbers could end up helping Reynolds in his quest to make the roster, and the work he has done so far could help cement that in the coming days.
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‘Confident’ Craig Reynolds Growing to Understand Lions’ Offense