On the bubble Detroit Lions player seems safer than ever right now, and maybe he should just not be on the bubble at all
Detroit Lions’ Tyler Lacy keeps making it harder to call him a bubble player. At this point, I may have to rethink where he belongs on the 53-man roster.
The Detroit Lions defensive line has been one of the most talked-about position groups this offseason, and edge rusher Tyler Lacy keeps giving the coaching staff reasons to love him. From OTAs through mandatory minicamp and now into training camp, Lacy has steadily climbed in the eyes of the organization. At this point, calling him a bubble player feels wrong.
I’ve had Lacy on our bubble pressure meter for a while now, and I’m starting to wonder if I should just take him off entirely. This guy seems safer than a lot of players on the roster. The Lions are in love with him, and it’s hard to see him going anywhere.
How Lacy got here
Last year, Detroit claimed Lacy at the end of the training camp period. He didn’t have a camp with the Lions. He just kind of showed up, and the initial thought was that this might be one of those situations where a claimed player hangs around the bottom of the 53-man roster for a few weeks before the team moves on. That’s not what happened. Lacy started four games for the Lions last season and played in 10 overall. He showed a good ability to tackle, some run-stuffing chops, and even flashed a little pass rush, recording one sack. The main thing he showed Detroit is that he could do anything the coaching staff asked him to do.
Campbell can’t stop talking highly of him
When Lions coach Dan Campbell was asked about Lacy on Friday, he didn’t hold back. Here’s what Campbell had to say:
“He’s a football guy. Like he’s a pro. This guy prepares. He practices hard. He’ll do whatever you ask him to do.” Campbell said. “Run over there, take special teams reps. He doesn’t bat an eye. He’s big. He’s strong. He’s stout. He’s physical, and so for that big end, especially big end in base nickel, he’s like the perfect big end in base. I mean, that’s how you want him to. That’s the way you want him to look. The way you want him to play, and so you know the next step for him will be some of this stuff, where okay, now we transition to nickel, slide to the three technique. Can you get an edge on some of this rush stuff? That’ll be kind of the next push here. But as far as taking on the run, setting edges, smart football player, practices hard, plays hard. I mean, he’s what you’re looking for.
In addition to that, Campbell talked about the possibility of Lacy playing some nose tackle, and he said that Lacy has some flex ability to him in that regard. They could ask him to do that, but also noted that wasn’t the first they think of him at. Still, it’s big.
Why Lacy matters for the Lions defensive line
The nose tackle situation in Detroit has been discussed ad nauseam. The Lions have Tyleik Williams, but they don’t have a real backup behind him. There was thought that Jay Tufele could fill that role, but Tufele has been released. So you start looking at what the Lions actually have, and it’s an abundance of guys who can do multiple things. That’s what makes this defensive line hard to evaluate from the outside. When fans talk about how bad the group is, they’re often missing the versatility. Just because Detroit doesn’t have a bunch of name-brand players on the line doesn’t mean it’s not good.
Lacy is the perfect encapsulation of that. He can do anything, and he can do it well enough that the coaching staff is happy. It’s not all about getting sacks. That’s the one thing I’ve really been trying to get across to Lions fans. Detroit wants the sacks, sure, but the Lions are so much more interested in stopping the run and making teams one-dimensional in order to generate those sacks. Lacy is another guy who can stop the run, whether that’s setting the edge at big end or kicking inside to play a little nose tackle.
At this point, I’m putting him on the 53-man roster. I don’t see a world where he doesn’t make it. But there’s a lot of camp left, and pads aren’t on yet. We’ll see what happens.
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