TAMPA BAY – The Detroit Lions got their first win of the preseason Friday night in a 33-30 victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It is also the first win for first-year head coach Matt Patricia, but it took a massive comeback in the second half to be able to say that.
Despite those first-half struggles, here are the three Lions that stood out against Tampa Bay.
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Dexter McDougle, CB
The Lions signed McDougle on Monday, and he already proved to be a pretty decent pick up, at the very least.
McDougle finished the night with only four tackles, but also had two pass breakups in the process.
There is an open competition at the starting cornerback position opposite Darius Slay, especially with Nevin Lawson struggling so badly against Tampa Bay. McDougle has just as good of a chance to win it as the other candidates, especially with second-year cornerback Teez Tabor not distancing himself from the competition and the injury to offseason addition DeShawn Shead.
Tracy Walker, S
Sure, his interception was on the last play of the game, but it's still good to see Walker contribute in the stat book in some way.
A third round pick in April's draft, Walker's selection was heavily criticized by Detroit fans. He only had one tackle and is still adjusting to the pro level, but coaches will take improvement like that from rookies at any time, and fans should see positivity in that, as well.
Brandon Powell, WR
The star of the night was Powell, who contributed in big way after big way.
An undrafted rookie out of Florida, Powell had six catches for 45 yards, and also had an 80-yard punt return touchdown in the fourth quarter to make it a three-point game.
80-yard punt return TD!
— NFL (@NFL) August 25, 2018
Brandon Powell (@_Powellbp4) to the HOUSE. #DETvsTB
📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/7iLdpJLqgv
We know versatility is huge when it comes to a Matt Patricia-led team, so this performance may have just secured Powell a spot on the regular season roster.