The Lions' backups sent the team into the regular season on a high note, rallying from a 14-0 deficit Saturday against the Steelers -- who had opened the game with their starters -- to close the preseason with a 24-17 win. Here are five standouts for Detroit, with cut day looming on Tuesday.
DE Isaac Ukwu
Here’s what Dan Campbell said about Ukwu, unprompted, a few day ago: "When he got in here in the spring, he was last on the depth chart. … And he’s just steadily gotten better and better and better. He plays much bigger than he is, he plays longer than his length says. Every time we give him an opportunity, he just shows up."
He showed up again Saturday, in a big way. Ukwu said he "put everything together" in his best game yet. His best moment came late in the second half when he turned a power rush off the right edge into a strip-sack of Kyle Allen to set up a game-tying touchdown drive.
"After the initial contact, I started to get my eyes on where the quarterback was and seeing where I needed to shed (the tackle) and once I realized he was on his heels, I just threw him into the quarterback and luckily the ball came out," Ukwu said.
He also notably beat Steelers starting right tackle and 2023 first-rounder Jamarco Jones with a speed rush earlier in the game on a fumbled snap by Justin Fields that resulted in a sack for Ty Summers. Ukwu just has a way. That’s three sacks in three preseason games for the undrafted rookie, who may have just played his way onto the Lions’ 53-man roster.
Either way, Ukwu said that he "proved a lot to myself" over the preseason about his potential place in the NFL: "It's the unknown when you come in, you don't know what to expect. I obviously had confidence in my ability, but being out there and doing it boosts your confidence even more."
"There’s a little bit of anxiety (ahead of cut day)," he said, "but I feel like what washes it away is the fact that I gave it my all. It’d be different if I thought I was playing bad and I didn't try hard and I wasn't in shape, then I would feel a certain type of way. But the fact that I gave it my all, I can’t be mad with whatever outcome comes, honestly."
DE James Houston
Houston needed to make his presence felt Saturday after a quiet camp. He showed why he’s worth a roster spot on back to back snaps in the second quarter. First he chased down a run from the right edge for a minimal gain. Then he smoked a tackle from the left edge with a quick move to the inside and sacked Allen for a seven-yard loss. Houston made most of his plays during his explosive rookie season by beating tackles to the outside. If he can keep adding to his repertoire as a pass rusher, he can be a problem for the Lions — Da Problem, that is.
QB Hendon Hooker
As usual, a lot to digest here — most of it enticing, some of it troubling. The fumbles can’t continue. Hooker put two more balls on the ground Saturday, one of which was lost, after fumbling three times in Wednesday's scrimmage and once last Saturday against the Chiefs. Of course, on the fumble that he didn’t lose, Hooker scooped it up and took off for a 14-yard gain. So it goes: Hooker has the athleticism to make something out of nothing.
He did that often on Saturday, using his legs to rush for 93 yards, including some key scrambles on touchdown drives. Hooker had no time to throw early in the game as Detroit’s backup offensive line caved in against most of the Steelers' starters, but he delivered a few nice balls as the pressure relented. His best was probably an 18-yarder over the middle to Kaden Davis where he hung in with a rusher in his face and made a strong throw on his back foot. It sparked a two-minute-style touchdown drive at the end of the first half.
Hooker under-threw Daurice Fountain on a deep ball where Fountain looked like he had a step on the defender and was picked over the middle on a throw to Isaiah Williams, but the latter was mostly on Williams for not running all the way through his route.
"All on me," Williams said. "Great throw by him, kind of felt zone, so I started to throttle (down) a little bit, but it’s one of those routes where you can’t throttle or it’s going to mess up the quarterback, and I messed up the quarterback. I saw it at the last minute and tried to go get it, but that’s just a mistake that I can’t make. That was a great ball, exactly where the ball is supposed to be. I gotta make sure that I’m in the right spot at the right time."
Overall, Hooker went 12-of-20 for 114 yards, one touchdown and one pick. Most importantly, he led three touchdown drives in a winning effort and got tons of important snaps.
Hooker can stress a coaching staff with some of his mistakes, just like he stresses a defense with his ability. The Lions will want to see him cut down on the former to feel comfortable naming him QB2 behind Jared Goff.
A few more words from Williams, who deserves mention here as a player on the bubble. This wasn't the performance he was hoping for to push himself onto the roster, though he did have a 17-yard grab and a 37-yard kick return in the first half. Williams is undersized, undrafted and relatively new to playing receiver, but he's been one of Detroit's best players over the past few weeks in a room where there are jobs up for grabs.
Asked if he felt like he did enough to make the team, he said, "In a way, yeah. But you never know because at the end of the day, they're trying to set up a team to win a championship and you never know how that’s supposed to set up. But I hope I did enough and showed them that I fit along with that winning culture. I want to win. I’m gonna go out there and help the team win, whatever you need me to do. Hopefully I put it on tape enough."
Williams said the next few days will be a little stressful, but "my biggest thing was, I’m just gonna come out here and do everything I can to make this team, and whatever happens from there is out of my control. So I'm gonna go home today, chill with family, have a good time and then if I make it, let’s get to work -- and if I don't make it, let’s get to work. It’s going to be a lot of emotions just because you don’t know what’s about to happen, but for me, I’m gonna let God handle it and whatever happens, happens."
Here's betting Williams makes the cut.
WR Maurice Alexander
Alexander is a longshot to make the roster, and Saturday probably didn’t do much to change that. But ‘Hardtime’ tends to pop when he gets the opportunity. He led the Lions with four catches for 60 yards, including a leaping grab over the middle on a high pass from Hooker that went for 29 yards and sparked Detroit’s go-ahead touchdown drive in the fourth quarter. He also had a 31-yard kick return to start the second half. Alexander has spent most of the past two seasons on the Lions’ practice squad; he’s a spark plug who’s worth keeping around.
LB Ty Summers
Summers is entering his fifth season in the NFL after breaking in with the Packers in 2019. He played in 15 games for the Saints last season, exclusively on special teams. That’s where he’ll bring value to the Lions if he sticks around and gets a shot this season. But Summers stood out on defense Saturday, with a game-high nine tackles and two tackles for loss (1.5 sacks). The Lions are deep at linebacker and probably don’t have room for Summers on the 53, but injuries could change that. He was their best defensive player against the Steelers.