Jared Goff Will Sit Preseason Finale, Starters Will Suit Up

Dan Campbell reveals plans for the usage of starters in the third preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Dan Campbell has his eyes on Detroit’s preseason finale.

The second-year coach has begun planning for the Pittsburgh Steelers, whom the Lions will take on in the third and final showdown leading up to the regular season. Though he didn’t specify how much his starters will play in Sunday’s game, he did say they would participate -- with one exception.

Starting quarterback Jared Goff won’t play Sunday, which creates the opportunity for one final showdown between Tim Boyle and David Blough for the backup quarterback position.

“I know this, the starters will play,” Campbell said. “I don’t see Goff playing, and he’s not gonna talk me into it. I told him that (Monday) morning, so he’ll know my conviction. I do see the starters playing and we’ll see where it goes. They need to be prepared for a half, I know (Pittsburgh)’s guys are playing about a half, I talked to coach Tomlin, so this will be really good for us.”

Goff has played just one series during the first two games of the preseason. On that drive, in the opener against Atlanta, he led a touchdown drive while going 3-for-4 through the air.

With him sidelined, it will be Blough and Boyle leading the offense. Blough got the start in the Lions’ win over the Colts, playing the first half before giving way to Boyle in the second.

Campbell hasn’t shown his hand on the leader of the competition, doubling down on the fact that it was still an open race.

“I think it’s neck and neck,” he said.

The head coach said he plans to start Boyle against the Steelers, though that decision was still up in the air.

Roster cuts update

The Lions’ roster currently sits at 85 players, but that number will have to be cut down to 80 by Tuesday. As a result, Campbell and company have tough decisions to make in the coming days.

Ultimately, Detroit will have to narrow its pool of players down to a final total of 53 players ahead of the start of the regular season. Many players, namely wide receiver Tom Kennedy, have made their case at one of the available spots.

Campbell admitted Monday that the decisions surrounding the future of his team’s roster were going to be difficult. When asked about the number of available spots, he wasn’t sure but noted that it was going to be tough to choose.

“I don’t know if I gave an answer, that it would be correct,” Campbell said. “There’s, I mean, 8-to-10. Somewhere in there, probably. It’s gonna be tough, it’s gonna be a tough deal this year.”

The Lions have several players, such as Jameson Williams, Jerry Jacobs and Romeo Okwara, who are dealing with injuries and may begin the season on either the Non-Football Injury list or Physically Unable to Participate list.

This would in turn make roster spots available. Campbell and company are still deciding on whether to bring them back. Because there are currently five players on those lists, Detroit doesn’t technically have to make cuts before Tuesday’s deadline.

“We wouldn’t have that yet,” Campbell said. “Brad (Holmes) and I are still discussing. There’s a good chance that we would have some of those, maybe three out of the five or somewhere in there, and then you still have a couple of moves to make.”

Notes

The Lions will hold a night practice Tuesday. Campbell is billing it as the team’s final, "Detroit vs. Detroit," scrimmage opportunity.

Campbell identified the offensive and defensive line as standouts in Saturday’s win over the Colts in addition to players such as Tom Kennedy, Shane Zylstra, Craig Reynolds and Justin Jackson on offense.