The Lions’ latest injury looks like the same old story. I don’t think it is, there’s a bigger reason Blake Miller is missing this game
Blake Miller never missed a start at Clemson and is already out in Week 2 for Detroit. It looks painfully familiar, but the short turnaround and Lions’ improved offensive-line depth make this situation very different.
Believe me, I know how it looks. I know exactly how it looks. The Detroit Lions were 31st in the NFL in adjusted games lost to injury last season. In 2024, they were 25th in that category. It gets to this feeling where anytime someone gets hurt, they must play for the Lions, right? You draft Blake Miller in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, you bring him in, a guy who never missed a game in college, and then he gets hurt in Week 1. I get it.
But here’s the thing. I don’t think this is what it looks like. There’s really no way to talk Lions fans out of it, but I’m going to try anyway.
This is precautionary, not panic
Yes, Miller got hurt in Week 1. It happened. Detroit is calling it a knee injury. More than anything, though, this feels like the Lions choosing to be smart rather than reacting to something catastrophic. More often than not when the Lions hold a player out, it’s because the player is clearly injured and needs weeks to recover. This situation reads differently. This is more of a “we have an incredibly fast turnaround, and if there’s any soreness in that knee, why risk it?” approach. It’s only Week 2. There’s a lot of football left to be played, and this is your starting right tackle, your first-round pick.
I honestly think that if this game was on Sunday instead of Thursday and the Lions had a normal practice week, Miller probably would have been questionable by Friday and played by Sunday. But the short week took multiple days off the board. That’s four days the Lions don’t get to make sure the knee is right.
They also didn’t really practice this week. Detroit had two walkthroughs. Those aren’t real practices. So they didn’t get to test Miller’s knee the way they probably would have liked to.
The smart play for the long haul
What this clearly looks like is the Lions saying, “Hey, as much as we’d love to play you, Week 2 is an important game, but there are going to be much more important games later in the season. We need you healthy. Just sit this one out.”
I’m sure Miller probably doesn’t want to sit. That’s the kind of guy he strikes me as, strikes everyone as. But this is the business of football. It runs a lot differently than it does in college football. There are millions of dollars attached to these NFL players, and even if you think the issue is slight and not a big problem, you can’t just force them into the game. You have to hold them out.
The Lions made the right move here. Why risk it? There’s really just no point.
Detroit has the depth to absorb this
Plus, you have Larry Borom, a solid starting tackle who was the Dolphins’ starter at right tackle last year and started for the Bears before that. It’s one game. Then Detroit has about 13 days after Thursday night to get ready for the Jets, and Miller could be back for that game. I would assume he’s totally going to play. I would bet my life savings he practices next Wednesday as a full participant.
The Lions have Borom on the bench as a capable starter. You probably elevate Devin Cochran as your swing tackle, or maybe you throw Miles Frazier in there. We’ll see what happens.
But again, I think Detroit made the right choice here.
Frankly, it’s worth mentioning just how well the Lions are prepared for this offensive line injury issue beyond Miller. The Lions went out and got Ben Bartch to come off the bench behind Christian Mahogany, and he might actually wind up holding onto the job. Juice Scruggs gave the Lions a starting-caliber center with Cade Mays out and he’s already played pretty well in Week 1.
We mentioned Borom, but he’s a big upgrade over Dan Skipper in that relief/swing tackle role. Then you have Cochran, who was a swing tackle in Cincinnati, and Miles Frazier, who can do anything on the line. They’ve never been this deep, and it’s a good thing they are. If they aren’t, we might be talking about how Miller has to play injured on Thursday because there aren’t any other options.
Detroit Lions News