The Detroit Lions‘ starting right tackle battle is not over as the team has two weeks of preseason football to settle things. However, all indications are pointing towards Blake Miller beating out Larry Borom for the starting spot.
Alex Kay of Bleacher Report noted that if the preseason debut of Miller was any indication of how the competition has gone, you can give the spot to Miller already.
“Borom likely won’t be needed to do so barring an injury; however, as Miller has been a standout throughout training camp and likely solidified a starting RT role during Detroit’s preseason opener,” wrote Kay.
Kay added that Miller played 24 pass-blocking snaps without any sacks or penalties.
“The team appears to be in good hands with Miller locking down the right tackle position for the foreseeable future,” wrote Kay.
While head coach Dan Campbell has not said it as bluntly as Kay, he has pointed to Miller as the one to hold down the job.
Blake Miller Has Inside Track at Starting Right Tackle Job
GettyDan Campbell of the Detroit Lions.
Before the pads came on, Campbell was already hinting that Miller had a hold of the job.
“My gut tells me that Blake’s going to continue to grow, but we will see,” said Campbell on the potential of Miller rising to the occasion when pads came on.
He did just that, and earned the starting job in the preseason. However, Campbell did make it clear that they needed to see him continue to progress.
While Campbell did not heap praise on Miller, he did make it clear that he was satisfied with his debut in the preseason.
“I didn’t feel like my eyes were ever on he or Larry (Borom), and that’s a positive. I thought — that means, that’s a pretty good sign.”
Had Miller struggled, he would have been easy to identify. Campbell made it clear that was not the case. So, while he has not come right out and said it, there have not been enough reasons to hold Miller back. He will likely start in Week 1.
Blake Miller Comes into the NFL With Experience
One of the biggest reasons the Lions drafted Miller in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft is that they valued his experience. Miller was a four-year starter at Clemson, and all of his starts came on the right side. So, he accumulated nearly 4,000 career snaps during his college career.
With the transfer portal and players sitting, it is hard to find a player with that much experience jumping into the NFL. This has allowed him to hit the ground running.
Borom is not a pushover, though. He started in 11 games for the Dolphins and has 38 career starts in the NFL. He has been able to push Miller and has not made it easy for Miller to win the job. So, it is a credit to Miller, and not a discredit to Borom, that Miller has been able to win the job so cleanly. We will see if he can finish the job in the coming weeks.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post NFL Analyst Declares Lions Starting Position Battle Over Already appeared first on HEAVY.