Pressers and scrums: Trap games, Moseley on path to return and Lions won't react to flurry of trades

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Allen Park — These Detroit Lions are conditioned not to take any opponent lightly.

Even though they’re 5-1, sitting pretty atop the NFC, and the Tennessee Titans are limping to town as a strong contender to earn the No. 1 pick in next year’s draft, the Lions are well aware of what happens when you don’t take an opponent seriously.

That’s because they’re not far enough removed to remember when they were the team on the other side of this equation.

“I think back to when we were 1-6 in 2022 and I think they're going to come out hungry and ready to go and we have to be ready for them,” linebacker Alex Anzalone. “We've been there, what it's like to be in their shoes and what they're still fighting for. This is the NFL and every team is really good, in my opinion. They have talent all over the field, it's just about them putting it together.”

The more appropriate comparison for these Titans might be a year earlier in Detroit’s rebuild. In 2021, coach Dan Campbell’s first season at the helm, the team didn’t earn it’s first win until Week 14.

The Titans haven’t had it that hard, but they’re clearly still trying to get everyone rowing the same direction under first-year coach Brian Callahan.

“I know what that’s like,” Campbell said. “He’s putting his stamp on this team, working through things, trying to find the right mix of how you want to do it. And so, every week, you’re figuring things out. It’s a dangerous team, they’ve got a lot of weapons across the board.”

Throughout the building, the Lions aren’t having a difficult time pointing out what the Titans do well. Campbell noted they’re coming to town with the No. 1 defense in the league, allowing just 272 yards per game.

“I think this defense is as good as any defense we’ve played up to this point and we know that,” Lions quarterback Jared Goff said. “I’m not just blowing smoke or anything. I know their record doesn’t show that but it’s a good defense, they’re good at every level and we’ve got our work cut out for us for sure.”

They’re especially strong up front.

"Their size on the interior is definitely something that is hard to deal with,” Lions running backs coach Scottie Montgomery said. “98 (Jeffery Simmons) has been a player in this league and he's been a monster in this league forever. He presents his own challenge at that position. …He uses his hands well, so try to make sure that we can control him. It starts there.”

The Titans have struggled much more offensively, particularly with turnovers, but still have a competent group game led by Tony Pollard, who is one of the league’s best after gaining yards after contact.

“That's really the focus this week,” Anzalone said. “They do a really good job of scheming up runs and we have to bring a certain mentality to this game to defend it. That's really what sets everything else up for them.”

The Lions are massive, double-digit favorites, but were double-digit underdogs in 2021, when the 10-4 Arizona Cardinals came to town. That one ended with the 1-11-1 Lions winning, 30-12. For that reason alone, they should understand what happens if you let up in this league, even just a little.

The Titans, they are a changin’

A little more than an hour after publishing a post about what’s new with the Titans, this week's opponent agreed to the first of two trades involving starters.

The Titans shipped out former All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to Kansas City, getting back a fifth-round draft pick that will turn into a fourth if the Chiefs make it back to the Super Bowl.

A few hours later, the Titans swapped linebackers with the Seattle Seahawks, sending Ernest Jones west in exchange for Jerome Baker and a fourth-round selection. That’s a pretty slick move for general manager Ran Carthon, who picked up Jones from the Rams for a sixth-round choice a couple months earlier.

Lions won’t be followers

The two Titans' trades are the latest in a small flurry of deals that have taken place the past week, with multiple playoff contenders adding to their rosters. Some have been depth additions, like Minnesota’s reacquisition of running back Cam Akers, while the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets took big swings for big-named receivers, scoring Amari Cooper and Davante Adams, respectively.

Fans have been waiting for the Lions to enter the fray, particularly after losing Pro Bowl edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson, but the team won’t jump off the bridge just because everyone else is doing it.

“I don’t feel like we’re pressured to, (like) ‘Oh man, everybody’s moving, we’ve got to move,” Campbell said. “No, I don’t feel that. …We don’t feel swayed by that. Like I said, we are not going to be in a hurry. If it’s right, it’s right, and we’re going to do our homework, do our due diligence. And if it makes sense, it makes sense, if it doesn’t, it doesn’t.”

The Lions have consistently said they want to evaluate what they already have in the building before pulling the trigger on a trade. And even after generating just 15 total quarterback pressures in last Sunday’s win over Minnesota, they’re staying that course.

“There’re still two guys here, there’re really three, that we haven’t really rolled out there on Sunday and see what they look like,” Campbell said. “So we’re going to give them a shot. We’re going to give Isaiah Thomas a shot. We’re going to give (Al-Quadin) Muhammad another shot. He’s played in this league, done a lot. We’ll give (James) Houston another shot, in combination with all those guys that we’ve got. Let’s give it a go, let’s give it a look, that’s what they’re here for.”

The Lions poached Thomas off the Bengals practice squad last week. The 6-foot-5, 266-pounder possesses elite speed and had 16.5 sacks in his final two seasons at Oklahoma. That said, he hasn’t accomplished much as a professional since being drafted in 2022.

As for Muhammad, he’s appeared in 84 games, including 34 starts, across six seasons. He’s tallied 12.0 sacks and 33 quarterback hits during that stretch.

Heart of a grappler

After starting as a rookie in 2022, Malcolm Rodriguez slid down the depth chart during his second season thanks to the emergence of Derrick Barnes and the addition of Jack Campbell via the first round of the NFL draft.

But Rodriguez worked his way back into the rotation to start this year and has only seen his role expand after a season-ending injury for Barnes.

Talking to Rodriguez last year, he never showed any signs of frustration with his reduced playing time. I asked position coach Kelvin Sheppard what is it about the young linebacker’s makeup that allowed him to stay locked in and be ready for this current opportunity.

“To be honest with you, it’s the wrestling mentality,” Sheppard said. “…Mental toughness, you talk about grit, try wrestling, and try doing it for a minute, let alone a whole match. That mindset and mentality allow him to be able to persevere through everything. ”

Sheppard also credited Rodriguez's upbringing and parents for his ability to overcome adversity.

On the long road back

A player on injured reserve is often out of sight, out of mind, but Lions cornerback Emmanuel Moseley has been more visible the past week, even traveling with the team to Minnesota.

It had me wondering if the veteran defensive back was still on track to return this season.

“Yeah, there is (a good chance he returns), and that was really the first week he’s traveled with us,” Campbell said. “He wanted to go and we were all for it. I can’t tell you how close, but yeah, we’re going to get him back. It’s just a matter of when is that? He’s doing pretty good. He’s really progressed nicely and he’s healed up well.”

I briefly chatted with Moseley in the locker room today as he was heading to an NFLPA meeting, making plans to talk more in-depth in the coming days. Still, he did note he's feeling really good as he rehabs from a pectoral injury.

He’s had a stretch of unbelievably bad luck the past couple of years, tearing his ACL while with the San Francisco 49ers in 2022, tearing the other ACL a few snaps in his Detroit debut last year, and suffering the pectoral tear during training camp this offseason.

Next steps for Gibbs

Scottie Montgomery has been speaking his wish list for Jahmyr Gibbs into existence the past few weeks.

Montgomery had said he wanted Gibbs more involved in the passing game, catching balls while facing the defense, and the coach had also noted he’d challenged his back to make the last man miss in the second and third levels of the defense.

Well, Gibbs checked both those boxes in the win over Minnesota, racking up 160 yards from scrimmage, including a career-long 45-yard romp where he juked past the safety en route to the end zone.

So what’s next?

“The next thing is can you do it twice or is that all he's got?” Montgomery said with a smile. “Is that all we get? If that's it then it was luck.”

Obviously a playful jab, Montgomery said he really wants to see Gibbs improve in pass protection, as well as evolve the ways he can be utilized in the offense.

“We do understand there are probably some mismatches, but it's his job to make those mismatches become non-mismatches,” Montgomery said about Gibbs picking up blitzers. “So continuing to grow him in protection, but also, as we get going, the utilization of him in multiple ways with David (Montgomery) on the field, with David off the field, just different things we can do in our pass game and run game. Just continue to grow. We've got a lot more, schematically, that we can grow with him, and now it's about putting in the time, putting in the effort.”

Scottie Montgomery did remind us that Gibbs is only now rounding into football shape after missing a good chunk of the offseason with minor injuries.

Encouraging injury report

The Lions were down several players for Wednesday’s practice, but none of the absences were injury-related. Defensive end Josh Paschal was sidelined by an illness, while offensive linemen Taylor Decker, Frank Ragnow and Graham Glasgow, as well as defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike, were provided veteran rest days.

Even more encouraging was the return of guard Kevin Zeitler, who sat out Sunday’s game against Minnesota with a groin injury. He was a full participant and told me in the locker room after practice that he's “ready to rock."