Detroit Lions Stock Report: Week 8

Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

Stock Up: Devin Taylor

Devin Taylor was rightly seen as a perfect for the strong side end spot in Teryl Austin’s defensive scheme.  Surprising to many, he simply couldn’t find a way to work his way into any real playing time in 2014 despite the poor play of Jason Jones.  It didn’t make much sense how an athlete like Devin Taylor who had shown promise as a rookie could so completely lose his ability to play football.

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That’s not the Devin Taylor we got in 2015.  Showing up to training camp with a renewed energy, Taylor threatened to break right into the starting lineup early and was poised to steal time from Jason Jones by the time preseason games began.  He was unable to carry over that momentum as the regular season started, but that hasn’t prevented him from making his presence felt.

It’s only a matter of time or injury before Taylor truly takes the starting defensive end spot away from Jones.  He showed why the past few weeks and with a coaching change looming, it’s probable we’re seeing more Ansah/Taylor starting lineups sooner than later.

Next: Starting Receivers