The Detroit Lions had to do a lot of shuffling during their Week 2 loss to the Buffalo Bills due to the short week. However, the offset to that is a long week of recovery before Week 3. Head coach Dan Campbell admitted that the extra time will allow starters Christian Mahogany and Blake Miller to return to the lineup after they missed one game.
Says Ben Bartch (foot) isn’t a long-term concern but won’t be ready for Sunday.
Campbell said that Ben Bartch would not be healthy enough to play in Week 3 due to his foot injury. He suffered the injury in the Week 2 loss. However, Bartch was already in to replace Mahogany. So, with Mahogany back, he was going to shift into a depth role anyways.
The Lions starting five that they entered Week 1 with should return for Week 3.
Detroit Lions Get Positive Injury News on Offensive Line
Mahogany was expected to enter a make-or-break type of third NFL season. However, the former sixth-round pick suffered a hip injury 11 snaps into Week 1. The team called on Bartch to replace him in the opener.
Given the quick turnaround, they could not get Mahogany back by Week 2. Bartch played, but suffered an injury. Still, if Mahogany was close for Week 2, he is now a lock for Week 3.
The same can be said for Miller. Miller had a knee issue after his NFL debut. He made it clear that he thought he could have played had the game been on a Sunday. However, Miller is a rookie; he was not practicing, and he had to travel to face a tough team in a prime-time environment.
Perhaps he could have toughed it out, and down the road they will trust him to play without much practice. Right now, it was too early, and they rested him. Larry Borom started in his place and struggled.
The additions will give the team a chance to settle the offensive line.
Lions Offensive Line Continues to Shake Up
Not only does the team have shake-ups at left guard and right tackle. While Penei Sewell and Juice Scruggs started the first two games and do not have injury issues, they are both going through some adjustment.
Sewell has been a starting right tackle for the team, but they shifted him to left tackle this offseason. He has the athletic ability to make the transition, but it could take him some time to get back to being an All-Pro-caliber player.
Scruggs has center experience, but most of it came in 2024. He was added this offseason to be a versatile bench piece. However, the injury to Cade Mays forced him to slide into center and start in Week 1.
So, not only has the team had backups, but they also have two positions where the starters are not quite living up to expectations. The hope is that they establish continuity and can start to move forward in Week 3.
Dan Campbell Confirms Offensive Line Changes Ahead of Week 3