Brandon Powell Has Another Strong Showing Against The Tampa Bay Buccaneers On Friday Night. The Detroit Lions May Have To Make A tough Decision Between Powell And TJ Jones For The 53 Man Roster.
Detroit Lions receiver Brandon Powell was one of the few bright spots in Friday night’s preseason win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. On top of his 80 yard punt return touchdown that kept the Detroit Lions afloat in the fourth quarter, Brandon Powell hauled in a team leading six catches for 45 yards. He has quietly put together a really nice preseason overall and has certainly taken advantage of his opportunities.
It is always important to note that this is still preseason, and Brandon Powell did most of his damage against players that aren’t long for the NFL, but he is certainly making a case for a roster spot, despite the odds being stacked against him.
His special teams value can’t be overlooked, but the Lions already seem committed to using corner back Jamal Agnew and running back Ameer Abdullah in the return roles, which severely limits the likelihood of Brandon Powell ever seeing the field in any sort of return role.
I’m not sure that it is likely that the Detroit Lions end up keeping five wide receivers on the roster, which puts Powell in contention for the fourth wide receiver spot with TJ Jones.
TJ Jones, the more established player, had a really nice season for the Detroit Lions last year totaling 30 receptions for 399 yards and a touchdown, solid production for a team’s fourth receiver.
With the future of Golden Tate uncertain beyond this year, the Detroit Lions may opt to keep TJ Jones on the roster over Brandon Powell, regardless of preseason performance, simply because they know what they have with him heading into a year that may require adding additional talent at the wide receiver position.
Regardless of how the 53 man roster shakes out, Brandon Powell is showing flashes of talent that are very interesting and will almost certainly at least earn himself a spot on the Detroit Lions’ practice squad.
Thanks for checking out the article everyone. Go Lions! You can follow me on Twitter @Lanny1925 and be sure to join the community on the Detroit Lions subreddit.
