Take it all in. The Detroit Lions are about to play a football game. Seven months after the Lions' disappointing 2025 season ended, the Lions will open their preseason Thursday night against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Among the many names to keep an eye out for in the preseason opener, none may be bigger than rookie first-round pick Blake Miller. The offensive tackle is confirmed to be making his preseason debut this week. It's unknown how long head coach Dan Campbell will keep Miller in, but expect to see him get a handful of snaps.
As exciting as it will be to see Miller on the field, it's best to temper expectations and responses. That's not to say we should expect him to play poorly or that we can't be excited if he plays well. Just that it's tough to judge a player's season and career outlook off of their first preseason.
Take his fellow OT Penei Sewell for example. Sewell had an overall terrible preseason in his rookie year. Sewell allowed a sack in his third preseason snap, and finished as the Lions' lowest-graded offensive player on Pro Football Focus in his final two preseason starts, per John Maakaron on Lions OnSI.
In Sewell's defense, he was at the time transitioning to right tackle after sitting out his final college season. There were going to be growing pains and rust. Yet, that didn't stop the barrage of overreactions and questions over whether he was the correct pick as opposed to someone like EDGE Micah Parsons.
Today, many consider Sewell to be the best offensive lineman in the league, and a Hall of Fame lock at age 25. He's a three-time First-Team All-Pro and is on track to becoming not just one of the greatest Detroit Lions ever, but one of the greatest Detroit athletes ever.
Those growing pains are common for offensive linemen, and Lions legend Lomas Brown spoke about that back in June when he expressed his nervousness about the Lions revamped O-line, adding that Miller will "have a learning curve" to overcome early in his NFL career.
If Miller is slow out the gate, just remember Sewell. Allow him the grace to grow in the weeks and months to come instead of instantly dismissing him as a bad draft pick. Miller may not be Sewell, but the Lions like him for a reason, and believe he can be the long-term answer at RT.
Will Miller be tested by the Bengals' starters?
This first preseason game will be an interesting one for the Lions, as the Bengals are set to play most of their starters, including quarterback Joe Burrow and new defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II.
However, Miller is unlikely to be lined up against EDGE starters Boye Mafe and Myles Murphy. The latest official Lions depth chart has Larry Borom ahead of Miller at RT. This is likely a formality to ease Miller into the real NFL game format after fighting for his life all training camp against Aidan Hutchinson. Give him an initial taste of the NFL gameday experience.
Miller will likely see a bulk of his snaps against the Bengals' second teamers, like fellow rookie Cashius Howell. How many snaps may depend on how comfortable the Lions are playing him after the devastating injury to center Cade Mays, as the O-line can't afford another major injury.
READ MORE: 5 Lions fighting to escape the roster bubble in preseason opener against Bengals
Despite Miller unlikely to play against starters, a good performance would be an encouraging sign. It's something positive for him to build upon. On the flipside, a rough performance should not be seen as a sign of impending doom for the 2026 Lions. Only that it highlights things that he'll need to work on leading up to Week 1 a month from now.
It's the first preseason game, and there will be plenty we'll take away from that game in the days to come. It's not the time to declare future Hall of Famers and busts from this rookie class. Instead, it's time to declare one thing above all else:
Detroit Lions football is back.
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