Roger McCreary, who was brought into the fold with the Detroit Lions this offseason, was expected to step up immediately into their open nickel role. Of course, after drafting Keith Abney II in the 5th round of this year's draft, that nearly-wide open job became a little less guaranteed.
That, coupled with a weaker offseason and training camp from McCreary, seemed to potentially push him onto the Lions' roster bubble.
But, McCreary has been outstanding in preseason, even if his individual stats don't reflect that reality. According to PFF, McCreary's the 3rd-best cornerback so far through two weeks of preseason, with a grade of 90.3, per Pride of Detroit's Al Karsten. And, as Karsten notes, McCreary has gained that grade while splitting his snaps between the nickel and at outside corner, showcasing his versatility in the secondary.
McCreary could be Lions' starting nickelback in Week 1
McCreary is still in a battle with Abney for the job, with Abney having earned the start at the nickel in Week 2 of the preseason. However, he looked like a rookie in those snaps - he had a bit of a silly holding penalty at one point, and also gave up a few chunk plays to Washington. McCreary, on the other hand, has done a nice job of tackling in the open field, acting as a decent run and pass defender.
McCreary and Abney feel like the most obvious candidates to start at the nickel come Week 1, with Christian Izien another option for the Lions as another versatile defensive back on the roster. But, with the way snaps have been doled out in preseason, it feels like one of McCreary's or Abney's job to lose.
READ MORE: Jared Goff just added another complicated wrinkle to Lions' John Morton era
So, if you're the Lions, do you trust a veteran like McCreary to play up to the expectations set for him from this sort of preseason while heading into Week 1? Or, do you go with the player that's obviously impressed enough in training camp to earn the starting job, Abney?
Preseason is tricky to use for evaluations like this, because McCreary - and Abney - are often facing off with second and third string talent. So, if someone is popping off the page, expectations should still be tempered, while if someone is struggling, you feel a little more pessimistic about their ability to get better against first string talent.
It'll be a fine and interesting line to see the Lions walk this week amid their final week of training camp, and their final preseason game loading.
Add us as a preferred source on Google