DFN Mailbag: Monday's biggest challenge, explaining concussion protocol, trade talk and bye week routines

Welcome to another weekly mailbag. Let’s get to your Detroit Lions questions.

Q: What is the toughest challenge the Lions will face this week against the Seahawks? — Brandon Kerr

Justin: Defensively, it will be limiting Seattle’s three receivers. Detroit’s secondary has largely been performing well, even with Terrion Arnold dealing with some predictable first-year inconsistency. But every week brings a new challenge and DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba are one of the league’s more formidable trios.

The Seahawks will attack you with quick pass after quick pass after quick pass, but as soon as you try to sit on a route, they pop you over the top with any of the three, especially Metcalf.

Offensively, Goff has to avoid the big mistake against an opportunistic secondary that’s returned an interception for a touchdown against him the past two seasons.

Q: Did you expect Kalif Raymond to get more usage or is this about what you expected? — Josh Stein

Justin: His playing time the first couple of weeks was about what I would have expected — in the ballpark of the previous two seasons — but that plummeted to five offensive snaps last week as the team leaned more on multiple tight ends and big-bodied receiver Tim Patrick as the No. 3 to facilitate a commitment to run.

As for Raymond’s usage/targets, I’m a little surprised, but when we’re talking about down games for Sam LaPorta, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams to start the year, you realize where Raymond sits on the priority list.

Q: What exactly happens in concussion protocol? What are the steps players have to get through to be eligible to play? — Trevor Wood

Justin: First, teams have baseline cognitive data for every player on the roster.

Step one of the protocol is the subsiding of symptoms. After that, players move to aerobic exercise under training staff supervision, followed by a cognitive test that’s compared against the previously established baseline.

Moving past that, step three is up to 30 minutes of football-specific exercise, while step four is non-contact drills, again followed by cognitive testing compared against the baseline.

The fifth and final step requires a player to go through a full-contact practice and be cleared by an independent neurologist assigned to the team by the league.

Q: If the defensive line struggles to get pressure from one side after losing Marcus Davenport, do you believe the Lions go for it at the trade deadline and acquire a premium defensive end? — Matthew Sharp

Justin: Premium? No. I don’t see the Lions shipping out a potential top-50 draft choice for what would amount to a rental. And if not a rental, the cost could go up to a first-rounder or more, depending on how premium of a talent we’re talking.

More realistically, they’ll ride with the horses they have in the barn. It starts with Josh Paschal and Levi Onwuzurike. You will probably see James Houston enter the mix, too. Finally, things could extend to a practice squader like Pat O’Connor, Mitchell Agude or Isaac Ukwu, if they get desperate or suffer additional injuries further up the depth chart.

Q: It's almost that time for the remaining players from Holmes’ first draft class to be re-signed or allowed walk. Is there anyone from that class you could see not returning next season? — Jamelle Cooper

Justin: Onwuzurike is going to be a really interesting conversation. He’s currently playing at a high level, but how much will three lost seasons from a back injury — and fusion surgery to correct the issue — weigh into his valuation? At this level of play, he’s a player you’d love to have stick, but it’s tough to justify a double-digit million commitment annually when all the variables are considered. Today, I'd consider the situation a coin flip.

Somewhat similarly, I’m not sure you can justify paying Ifeatu Melifonwu. You know the ceiling is electric, but his track record of availability has been brutal. With Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph holding down the fort at safety, potentially for a long time, you don’t need to pay the market rate for a third.

Q: Do you think the Lions will still try deep balls to Jameson Williams when the other team is in two-high (safety) looks? — Tim Bowers

Justin: It’s not just Cover-2, it’s Cover-3 and, more than any of them, Cover-4, which the Cardinals leaned on heavily last week.

I imagine the Lions will continue to look for ways to take some shots, but maybe not as many as they wanted or hoped to begin the season. There’s just not a lot of value in lobbing the ball into double coverage. Williams has elite speed, but at 180 pounds, he’s not going to win a lot of contested catches. That means you’re risking a likely incompletion and wasted play at best or an interception at worst.

The Lions were the beneficiary of that last week when Joseph easily picked Kyler Murray’s deep heave into double coverage.

Q: Now that you seem to be hitting your stride at DFN, what’s your stress level regarding the grind of the job vs. while at the Detroit News? — Al

Justin: My stress level is fine, but my work/life balance isn’t quite as good. Without the support of a reliable co-worker to shoulder some of the workload on a given day, or copy editors to be a second set of eyes, there’s an increased workload, even if the output is close to the same.

Q: For a while, Brad Holmes' old crew in Los Angeles had no problem going for it by jettisoning draft capital for impact players. It seems he is hesitant to do that, even though it worked over there. Any chance he changes his stance this year? — Jeremy Friedrichs

Justin: You never say never, but it doesn’t seem to be Holmes’ style. The reason I don’t anticipate it changing is the goal here is sustained success, which becomes much harder to do when you empty the cupboards of premium draft assets.

I believe there are scenarios where he could be compelled to pull the trigger on a big move as the Lions remain in Super Bowl contention however many years into the future, but I don’t anticipate he’ll ever be the type to continually mortgage the future by shipping out first- and second-round draft choices year after year.

Q: Why did they take so long to put Melifonwu on injured reserve? — Brandon L. Thornton

Justin: It's because setbacks happen and recovery timetables are inexact.

The initial prognosis had him trending toward returning sooner than four weeks, and even last week, coach Dan Campbell offered an optimistic update. But something changed in the days that followed, whether through the rehab routine or via updated imaging.

It happens and nothing was lost since the Lions had workable safety depth. Plus, no one was poached from the practice squad other than a backup kicker, who wasn’t going to be promoted to the 53-man roster, regardless.

Q: How will you spend your extra time during the upcoming bye week? — MrJT

Justin: It's not glamorous, but probably catching up on areas where I’ve fallen behind, namely emails and expense logging. I don’t want to be scrambling during tax season, given the overlap with NFL draft prep.

I’ve got a few story items to keep the content flowing, but ideally, I’ll free up some of my evenings to spend with my wife or grab dinner with a friend. My social life tends to wither annually from July-January.

Q: Favorite Monday night memory covering the team? Favorite Monday night memory not Lions related? — Benjamin Walker

Justin: My favorite Monday moment on the beat, even though my eardrums hated it, was Jahvid Best’s 88-yard touchdown run against the Chicago Bears in 2011. That entire night was electric, given the team’s hot start. Plus, who could forget all those false starts the crowd caused? But it was Best, bursting through the line, that put the night’s frenzy into overdrive.

In terms of non-Lions moments, I’m fond of the shootout between Goff’s Rams and the Kansas City Chiefs. That matchup was a rare case of the action matching the hype.

Q: What do teams do different during the bye? — Mark Petzold

Justin: Players rest and recover, with many getting away for a few days. The coaching staff will continue to work, with a focus on self-scouting and making adjustments to personnel and scheme.

Q: Now that Isaiah Williams is healthy, will he make his debut on Monday? — Calendar Bot

Justin: Probably not. The receiver room got a lot more crowded in recent days, and the team is more likely to lean on trusted and accomplished veterans like Patrick and Allen Robinson over the UDFA slot receiver.

Q: — When the Lions activate Mahogany, will they carry 10 OL or is someone released? — @LionsUKNFL

Justin: That decision likely won’t come for a month, and it’s difficult to speculate on a corresponding move that far in advance.

Why a month? Well, best case, Mahogany returns to practice the week after the bye. From there, the team is granted a three-week acclimation window. Given the rookie missed all of training camp, the team is almost certainly going to use every practice rep they can to get him up to speed, physically, before trying to squeeze him onto the 53-man roster.

At that point, you make an overall assessment of where you can’t afford to lose depth.

Q: — There was a lot of Jack Campbell hype this preseason. How has his performance been so far? — Derek Getman

Justin: His strengths and weaknesses from his rookie season remain. He’s excellent when coming downhill, filling his gaps and rarely letting a ball carrier escape his grasp. That makes him a key piece in one of the league’s better run defenses.

In coverage, I believe he’s still too often manipulated by the quarterback’s eyes, sacrificing his positioning in shallow zone drops. It’s likely why he was getting subbed out for Malcolm Rodriguez early in the season, before Alex Anzalone and Derrick Barnes’ injuries.

With Barnes down for a bit, Campbell will most likely be asked to step up and play a more diverse role, which would include more coverage responsibilities. This stretch is going to challenge him to get better in that area in a hurry.