The Detroit Lions prioritized the tackle position this offseason, and given Taylor Decker moved on, they needed to do just that. Fortunately, they acted with a few major moves this offseason.
Not only did they sign Larry Borom in free agency, they drafted Blake Miller out of Clemson. The idea is likely to start Miller as soon as possible, but when will that be the case? The battle to find out has already begun.
During camp, Miller has seen plenty of first-team reps, but Borom is at the ready if need be. The competition to see who will be the Week 1 starter very likely will be the best battle training camp will possess this year in Detroit.
After a week of practice, ESPN has put some of the best camp battles across the league under the microscope. Eric Woodyard cited this confrontation as the one to watch in Detroit given the importance of the Lions' line coming back to life this season.
"There is an open competition for the Lions' starting job at right tackle which probably will be between rookie Blake Miller and veteran Larry Borom, who was acquired via free agency. After releasing veteran left tackle Taylor Decker during this offseason, the Lions switched Penei Sewell, an All-Pro right tackle to the left, which will make room for a new starter. Miller was selected No. 17 out of Clemson and will have a strong chance to start, but Borom has experience, making 38 starts in 63 career games, including 11 starts for the Miami Dolphins last season."
Borom has been up and down in his career, so it's not a lock the Lions want to see him as a starter. If he is the answer early, it's likely because Miller has either been injured or hasn't played up to his early potential as a rookie. That would be bad news.
Even though he lacks NFL experience, Miller is clearly the one to watch in this battle. The Lions need him to establish himself quickly and leave Borom as a quality backup in case injury strikes. That would be the best case scenario for the roster.
Dan Campbell not showing his hand in the right tackle battle yet
It's only been a couple days of pads for the Lions, and as a result, there's not been much to learn just yet in the battle at right tackle. Both players will get a chance to establish themselves, and Campbell knows the Lions are going to be finding out everything they need to know in short order after practice.
Campbell expects Miller to come along, but also knows he has a decent ace in the hole in Borom with snaps under his belt. That could provide the perfect environment to find out about both players in the heat of battle.
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"Blake we feel has gotten a little bit better every day. And that's a good thing. Larry's played in this league. But now (with pads), it's real. So we can talk about how good somebody looks. Now the pads are on. Anybody's got a shot. We'll see what it looks like. My gut tells me that Blake's going to continue to grow, but we'll see. We're about to find out a lot. That's good news."
The rest of camp and the preseason will determine a lot about where the battle lands by the time September begins. Obviously, it's the one positional battle worth watching.
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