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Training Camp Preview: Do Lions Have Enough Offensive Line Depth?

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Training Camp Preview: Do Lions Have Enough Offensive Line Depth?


The Detroit Lions’ offensive line is seen as one of, if not the best collective units in the entire NFL.

With center Frank Ragnow serving as the anchor and plenty of talent along the starting five, Detroit has been able to excel on the ground thanks to the maulers who pave the run lanes. Another key component is All-Pro right tackle Penei Sewell, who inked a four-year extension this offseason.

The Lions also added a piece to the fold in the form of veteran Kevin Zeitler, who comes to Detroit for his 13th NFL season. One of the league’s most durable linemen over the course of his career, Zeitler brings veteran experience and knowledge having played across a number of schemes.

Here’s a preview of what the Lions have to offer on the offensive line with training camp fast approaching.

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Reason for hope

The Lions’ offensive line, when fully healthy, is as good as any other in the league. Sewell emerged as one of the top right tackles in the game, while Taylor Decker has been steady on the left side. With two strong bookend tackles, Detroit has been able to keep Jared Goff healthy for the duration of the last two years.

The interior is just as strong. Ragnow may be the best center in the league with Jason Kelce’s retirement, while the guard tandem of Graham Glasgow and Kevin Zeitler giving the team two reliable pieces.

Glasgow was a pleasant surprise last year and earned a three-year extension to remain with the team, while Zeitler fills the void left by Jonah Jackson’s departure. If the group can remain healthy, Detroit’s offense will once again reap the benefits.

Reason for worry

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Health will always be a concern with the nature of offensive line play. Taylor Decker and Frank Ragnow both missed time last year, but the unit was as healthy as its been over Dan Campbell’s tenure as head coach.

The Lions will have to have reliable depth ready to go in the case of an injury. Colby Sorsdal was up-and-down in his rookie year last year, as he was eventually beat out as the top backup by Kayode Awosika.

Those two, along with Dan Skipper and rookies Giovanni Manu and Christian Mahogany, will have opportunities to showcase their ability as backup options. Finding reliable options who can step in in a pinch is paramount for the Lions to remain playing at a high level.

Training camp battle

With the starting five positions seemingly set ahead of camp, extra attention will be paid to the backup battles. Sorsdal and Awosika seem likely to compete at guard along with Mahogany. Still, Sorsdal spent some time at tackle in minicamp and OTAs and appears to be a player the Lions want to utilize in either area.

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If Sorsdal can develop into a utility lineman, he would give the team immense value as a first option off the bench. Awosika was the option to start the NFC Championship game after Jackson suffered an injury and won’t go away quietly.

Player to watch

Manu will be a player worth keeping tabs on when training camp opens. The consensus opinion is that he can grow into a high-level player with development based on his athletic profile. Still, he will need plenty of time to adjust after playing collegiately in Canada.

With the Lions often electing to rest their starters for preseason games, Manu should get some extended playing time in Detroit’s three matchups. How he holds up will be fascinating to monitor, as the Lions could wind up landing a massive steal if he eventually reaches his potential.



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Detroit, MI

Man faces multiple charges after Roseville officer shot

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Man faces multiple charges after Roseville officer shot




Man faces multiple charges after Roseville officer shot – CBS Detroit

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A Metro Detroit man is facing 15 charges — 14 of them felonies — after a Roseville officer was shot during a standoff last week.

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Where to score tickets for this Sunday’s Pistons vs. Nets game for under $30

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Where to score tickets for this Sunday’s Pistons vs. Nets game for under


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Detroit Pistons fans will have the chance to see the Eastern Conference leaders this Sunday, Feb. 1, when they return to Little Caesars Arena to host the Brooklyn Nets at 6 p.m. ET.

Tickets are available now from Vivid Seats, SeatGeek, StubHub and Ticketmaster. Prices below reflect availability at the time of publication and are subject to change.

Ticket Service Starting Price
Vivid Seats $27
SeatGeek $29
StubHub $28
Ticketmaster $26

The team is currently in the middle of a Western Conference road slate, which includes matchups with the Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors. They earned a 109-108 win over Denver Tuesday night to improve to 34-11 and will set their sights on the Suns on Thursday. They’ll then make a final stop in San Francisco to take on the Warriors before returning home.

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Cade Cunningham and Tobias Harris each had a team-high 22 points in Tuesday’s win, while Cunningham also had 11 assists. Cunningham currently leads the league in assists, averaging 9.8 per game. He will represent Detroit as an Eastern Conference starter in this year’s All-Star Game.

Fans can score their tickets now for Sunday’s game from Vivid Seats, SeatGeek, StubHub and Ticketmaster.



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Detroit Pistons find new altitude in win over Denver Nuggets

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Detroit Pistons find new altitude in win over Denver Nuggets


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DENVER — The air was rare, and so was the Detroit Pistons escape from a late scare to kick off their three-game Western Conference road trip with a victory.

Piston-killer Jamal Murray missed two of three free throws with 0.7 seconds remaining as the Pistons squeaked by the Denver Nuggets, 109-107, at Ball Arena. They were led by Cade Cunningham (22 points, 11 assists) and Tobias Harris (22 points, eight rebounds), who hit the winning free throws late in the fourth quarter.

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The Pistons led by 18 points in the second quarter, but a Nuggets run late in the fourth cut it to one, 105-104, with under a minute to go. Harris hit a clutch jumper from midrange to extend the lead to three, but Javonte Green fouled Jamal Murray on a 3-point attempt with 3.5 seconds left.

With a chance to tie the game, Murray missed the first free throw but made the next two to make it a one-point game again. Harris went to the line with 2 seconds left and made both to push the lead back to three, 109-106. But with 0.7 seconds left, Green fouled Murray on another 3-point attempt.

This time, Murray made the first but missed the second, icing the win for the Pistons. He intentionally missed the third free throw and the Nuggets couldn’t corral the rebound. They did a good job defensively on Murray, who finished with 24 points and 10 assists but shot 7-for-18.

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The Nuggets were without Nikola Jokic (left knee bone bruise), Aaron Gordon (right hamstring strain), Cameron Johnson (right knee bone bruise) and Christian Braun (left ankle sprain). The Pistons were without Caris LeVert (illness) for the third game in a row.

The victory boosted the Pistons to 34-11 and extended their lead as the top seed in the Eastern Conference to 5½ games over the Boston Celtics, and their lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Central Division to 7½ games. Next up, the Pistons head to Phoenix to take on the Suns on Thursday (9 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Detroit) before wrapping up the trip the following night against the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco.

Pistons withstand late run from Nuggets, Murray

The Pistons got off to a terrific defensive start, holding the Nuggets to 31.6% shooting in the first quarter and closing it with a 13-point lead, 31-18. They took the lead for good with a layup from Cunningham a minute into the first quarter, after Denver opened the game with a pair of free throws from Jamal Murray. 

But it got close late in the fourth when a 3-point play from Murray cut their lead to four, 99-95, with 3:03 to play. Murray followed with a layup to cut it to two, but a stepback midrange jumper from Cunningham and layup by Harris extended back to six, 103-97, at the 1:33 mark.

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Murray, Denver’s star guard who had averaged better than 30 points against the Pistons in three previous games, got going late in the fourth. A turnaround jumper over Green cut it back to four, and then ex-Piston Tim Hardaway Jr. knocked down a 3-pointer to cut it to one, 103-102, with 56.4 seconds on the clock.

But Murray missed the most important shots of the night when he clanked his first of three free throws at the 3.5 second mark, and then his second free throw attempt with 0.7 seconds left, costing the Nuggets a chance to send the game into overtime.

Pistons struggle from 3 again

The Pistons led the Nuggets for almost the entirety of the night while enduring one of their worst performances from behind-the-arc. They were 2-for-21 from 3 midway through the third quarter, before they knocked down four of their final five attempts of the period. 

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Green, who has shot 41.1% from 3 (23-for-56) since Dec. 23, knocked down their first 3 of the game toward the end of the first quarter to extend their lead to 11, 27-16. He and Holland were the only Pistons to make a 3-pointer when Holland knocked down his second one of the game with 3:33 remaining in the third. At that point, Detroit was 3-for-22 as a team. 

Jaden Ivey brought some needed shotmaking off of the bench, hitting a deep stepback 3-pointer as time expired with 2:11 left in the third. He followed that by beating the third-quarter buzzer with another 3, pushing the lead back to double digits, 82-72. 

Two of the Pistons’ worst performances from 3 this season have come in their past three games, going 6-for-31 on Tuesday after hitting just seven of their 32 attempts (21.9%) in a loss to the Houston Rockets on Friday. The two games bookend one of their best 3-point performances, a 16-for-31 (51.6%) mark in a blowout win over the Sacramento Kings on Sunday. 

Part of the reason is because Duncan Robinson is in a mini-slump, going 0-for-8 from 3 against the Nuggets and 2-for-8 against the Rockets. Robinson had just two points on Tuesday – on a dunk in the fourth quarter.

MUST WATCH: Make “The Pistons Pulse” your go-to Pistons podcast, listen available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) ] 

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Want more Pistons updates? Download our free app for the latest news, alerts, eNewspaper and more.

Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on X @omarisankofa.





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