With final cut day looming next Tuesday, Dan Campbell and the Lions' coaching staff are looking for guys who can make an impact on the fringes of the roster. Guys who may have exceeded expectations during training camp.
"I think there’s a few of those guys," Campbell said Wednesday.
Starting with fullback Jason Cabinda, who converted from linebacker last summer and could have a bigger role in Detroit's offense this fall.
"I’m a Cabinda fan because I know what the guy is," Campbell said. "And I said this the first day I got this job, ‘Man, give me a guy that I know exactly what he is, what he can do, what he’s about, how he works, how he’s processing info and I’ll go to war with those guys any day.' And that’s what Cabinda is to me and to this team.
"He’s a young, improving player for that position in particular, where I think there’s a lot of meat on the bone. I know what he’s going to be able to do on special teams, he can play some fullback, I think he might be able to play a little half-back. He’s one that I’ve been impressed with. I liked the tape last year, but he’s even more than I thought."
Limited almost entirely to special teams duty last season, Cabinda has flashed his pass-catching chops under a new coaching staff. He made a catch out of the backfield in Detroit's preseason loss to the Bills, a theme in practices throughout camp. Campbell said the Lions want to give Cabinda more chances out of the backfield and in the slot "because there’s value in versatility, especially when you know he can play special teams."
Next on his list of unexpected standouts: "Shoot, man, C.J. Moore popped off the tape last year, but he’s been what I expected and then some. That’s a good example."
Like Cabinda, the bulk of Moore's playing time in Detroit has come on special teams. He'll retain that role moving forward. But he also has a chance to emerge at safety in a secondary desperate for more playmakers. Moore tallied three tackles and a pass defended in Detroit's preseason loss to the Steelers.
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And lastly for Campbell, Austin Bryant, who's switching from defensive end to a pass-rushing outside linebacker role in the Lions' new defense.
"He was hurt last year, but he was all-out all the time on the plays that he did play. To watch him come in here and get his feet back under him, get the reps and get the load, he’s been pretty impressive," Campbell said. "I think this guy’s really got a high ceiling and can continue to grow. He’s even twitchier than I thought he was."
A fourth-round pick out of Clemson in 2019, injuries have limited Bryant to 10 games in two seasons. But he came on strong at the end of last season with 14 tackles in his last three games and he's picking up where he left off. He said earlier in camp he's excited to play in a defense in which "we get to be who we are as players." Most importantly, Bryant is healthy to start the year.
Campbell and the Lions have to shave their roster from 80 players to 53 by next Tuesday. These three shouldn't have to fret.