Mailbag, Part I: Talking Detroit Lions' WR3, o-line depth, Za'Darius Smith and more

Allen Park — Welcome to the first mailbag of the 2025 season. The mailbox was stuffed, so I’ll be back with a second batch of questions later today.

Question: If the Lions were to line up in trips on first-and-10 to start the season, who is the No. 3 receiver on the field? — Kirk Tousaw

Justin: It’s a reasonable question. For weeks, all signs have pointed to this being Kalif Raymond’s function in the offense. I imagine we’ll end up seeing him and Issac TeSlaa in a timeshare, with Raymond taking the larger chunk of the pie to begin the year, and TeSlaa slowly eating into it as he proves his abilities against a higher level of competition than he regularly faced during camp practices or the preseason.

That said, it wouldn’t be surprising to see TeSlaa get the "start" in this hypothetical scenario. If it’s a perimeter run or a receiver screen to Jameson Williams, TeSlaa could offer more as a blocker to complement the play call.

Question: Who will be the gunners on punt coverage? — Jordan Dev

Justin: Assuming the team feels like Khalil Dorsey is in football shape after recently returning from his lengthy injury layoff, he’s the easy answer on one side.

Opposite him, there are three contenders: Rock Ya-Sin, Isaac TeSlaa and Dominic Lovett. They each offer a little something different, and their participation could hinge on their offensive/defensive role in that week’s game plan.

Question: Do you think the NFL is going to be upset about the Hassanein move? It seems like Holmes may be stretching the rules beyond their intended purpose? — Matt Hunter

Justin: No. This is the intended purpose of injury settlements. They paid Ahmed Hassanein for the negotiated length of his recovery. Now, he’s free to sign anywhere he wants.

If he chooses to be loyal to the Lions, which will require him to wait three extra weeks beyond his injury settlement length, that’s a personal decision.

Question: Which away venue this year are you most looking forward to visiting? Being independent, what do you need to factor into your budgeting for away games? — Joel L

Justin: It’s more about the city than the venue. On this year’s slate, I really enjoy walking around both Baltimore and D.C. That said, I’ve been workshopping a plan with colleagues to sample some of the best cheesesteaks in Philadelphia, so that probably tops the 2025 list. My healthy lifestyle decisions that have allowed me to drop 40 or so pounds since May are going to be put on hold for that epic cheat day.

In terms of budget decisions, it’s not that much different than when I was at the Detroit News. I was always cognizant of spending. If anything, I’m less loyal to a singular airline or hotel chain on my own. In fact, I’ve gone the Airbnb route on a few trips, just because it was a far better value.

Question: Can you describe the difference between John Morton’s coaching style/demeanor and Ben Johnson’s? Everything I ever read made it sound like Ben Johnson was extremely fiery and intense. Is Morton similar or more laidback? — Trevor Wood

Justin: Frankly, both are pretty intense. Neither coach does a good job of hiding their displeasure when players don’t execute to expectation. Morton is often one of the loudest voices during practice, barking at a player after a miscue.

The biggest difference is their polish. Maybe it isn’t the perfect word, but Morton comes across as more gruff. He gives off the vibe of an old-school coach.

Question: Assuming injuries are not a factor. Who is a player on the practice squad who might have a role in Week 1 or at least early season? — Weeds

Justin: Taking injury off the table, likely none. If the team had a Week 1 vision for any of those players, they’d have made the roster.

Maybe running back Jacob Saylors gets the temporary elevation if Vaki has to miss a week, or edge defender Isaac Ukwu, while waiver claim Tyrus Wheat gets acclimated.

Question: If aliens abducted Graham Glasgow tomorrow, what’s the plan for the season? — David Montgomery’s Carrot

Justin: If you’ve met Glasgow, you’d more likely assume he’s the alien and he’s just heading home to see his family.

But I appreciate you presenting a hypothetical without making it about an injury. Without Glasgow, things definitely get dicey in a hurry for Detroit's offensive line. Presently, the plan would see Kingsley Eguakun stepping in at center.

Eguakun is smart and athletic, two important traits to succeed at center. Where he lags behind is his play strength. In one-on-one situations against bigger defensive tackles, he regularly struggles to anchor and preserve the pocket.

Now, there are some ways to cover that up, and Eguakun works really well with and off of tandem blocks. But there’s a reason Trystan Colon remains in the fold on the practice squad. If Glasgow were out for a long stretch, Colon would get a quick bump to the main roster and would be the choice if the team felt compelled to pivot from Eguakun.

The long shot is Tate Ratledge. I don’t see the Lions messing with that in 2025, but who knows? It’s always going to be about getting your best five on the field, as a combination.

Question: Last year, it felt like Hutchinson was held on almost every play, but almost never drew the call. What’s it gonna take for refs to stop penalizing Hutchinson for being too good? — Aaron Talley

Justin: You know those inflatable tube men in front of car dealerships? That’s what Hutchinson often looks like when he’s rushing, wildly flailing his arms when engaged by a blocker. It creates this artificial perception he’s being held, but that’s rarely the case. I think many fans and media members don’t really understand what is and isn’t a hold.

The key is the feet. If an offensive lineman stays in front of the man they're blocking, officials aren’t going to throw a flag. It’s not illegal to grab a defender; it’s illegal to restrict them by altering their angle of pursuit. That’s why a QB rolling from the pocket or a running back bouncing a carry outside is so dangerous, because that legal latch a lineman has inside a breast plate suddenly becomes illegal when the defender tries to pull away.

I don’t want to imply officials never miss a holding call on Hutchinson, but it happens far less than you might think. My advice: Focus more on the feet than the hands when you think there’s a hold.

Question: Based on what you've observed in training camp thus far, how much do you think John Morton's plan to incorporate more vertical plays in the offense played a role in the decision to trade Tim Patrick? — Mattius

Justin: I think every offensive coordinator would like a vertical element, and Morton saying that doesn’t necessarily mean it will come to fruition.

I don’t believe Patrick's lack of being a vertical threat is what specifically played into the team moving on. It was the overall body of work, contrasted against the other receivers in the room. Raymond and TeSlaa offered more consistency, and with TeSlaa showing promise as a blocker, there wasn’t a trait Patrick brought to the table that the Lions felt they couldn’t replace.

TeSlaa's ability to stretch the field has the potential to be a nice bonus, though.

Question: My hot take is Frank Ragnow's retirement is going to have a larger impact on the Lions’ offense than the new O.C. Do you agree with this? — Jamelle Cooper

Justin: Yes, and I’m fairly certain I’ve said as much elsewhere, potentially another mailbag, maybe the podcast, or simply in the site’s chat.

Ragnow’s departure is a bigger blow than Ben Johnson’s. It just is. Morton brings a level of continuity, schematically, and benefits from a loaded arsenal effectively intact from a year ago, with a potential upgrade from Patrick to TeSlaa. It’s just going to be difficult to screw that up.

The biggest concern is the offensive line. Johnson always called it the engine of the offense. Well, if the engine isn’t right, things won’t run as smoothly. Ragnow was elite at what he did, and I reserve the term elite for the top 10% at a player’s position. Glasgow isn’t. He’s better than serviceable, but unlikely to perform at a Pro Bowl level in 2025.

On top of that, there’s inexperience on both his shoulders. I think it’s reasonable to have high hopes for both Christian Mahogany and Ratledge, but growing pains would be normal. Ragnow went through them as a rookie, Sewell went through them, to a degree, as well. Those young guys will, too.

Question: Do you think the Lions are not all in on Smith because he doesn’t “set the edge” and just sells out for sacks? — Paul Kushiner

Justin: I probably wouldn’t phrase it this way, Paul, but you’re on the right track. The Lions were interested in retaining Smith at a reduced salary before initially parting. And in a recent radio interview, Holmes talked about the sides needing to be on the same page with their expectations. That’s a salary and role conversation.

Smith is still a productive pass rusher. He has plenty of tape from last season that confirms that. However, his run-stopping ability has declined to a point where it’s below average. At this stage of his career, he’s not the preferred option if you’re seeking a three-down player.

In the current setup, Smith would be a clear-cut backup, spelling Hutchinson for small stretches and potentially replacing or supplementing Davenport in obvious pass-rush situations.

We’re talking 20-25 snaps per game. What’s that worth? The Lions are paying Al-Quadin Muhammad $1.4 million for that, and people forget he had a similar per-play impact to Smith as a pass rusher last season.

Now, Smith is unquestionably a more proven commodity, so maybe it’s one year, $3 million with some incentives. It’s understandable why he’d scoff at that, as he could probably find someone to pay him more for a larger role. But that’s the outlook in Detroit. Take it or leave it.