Entering his fourth year in the NFL Womens Jarrad Davis Jersey , Dahl could finally be getting a shot at significant playing time." />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesHorizontal - WhitePride Of Detroita Detroit Lions communityLog In or Sign UpLog InSign UpFanpostsFanshotsSectionsLibraryLionsOddsAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 322 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Detroit Lions NewsDetroit Lions NotesDetroit Lions AnalysisDetroit Lions TransactionsDetroit Lions Game RecapsFiled under:Detroit Lions QuotesDetroit Lions AnalysisJoe Dahl is bigger, stronger and finally getting a shotNew,14commentsEntering his fourth year in the NFL, Dahl could finally be getting a shot at significant playing time. EDTShareTweetShareShareJoe Dahl is bigger, stronger and finally getting a shotMark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY SportsWhen the Detroit Lions drafted Joe Dahl in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft, they knew he was going to be a long-term project. Used as mostly a left tackle at Washington State, he projected physically to be a guard, but had none of the experience playing in a three-point stance.As general manager Bob Quinn continued to focus his efforts on the offensive line, each year would go by as Dahl seemed to remain low on Detroit’s depth chart. He would get a start here and there as an injury replacement, but he mostly served as a potential body for special teams. It was beginning to look like one of Quinn’s first draft experiments would eventually slide off the roster entirely.However, entering the final year of his rookie contract Dahl has come into organized team activities bigger and stronger. And he’s starting to make an impression.“I think he’s really transformed his body over the last year,” Lions head coach Matt Patricia said on Thursday. “He just looks bigger and stronger. He moves better.”And while Dahl certainly still is fighting an uphill battle to make the final starting lineup, he made a big stride this week. On both Wednesday and Thursday practices Matthew Stafford Jersey White , Dahl was primarily the starting left guard—the one starting position that appears to still be up for grabs on the offensive line. However, the job is far from his at this point. This week in particular, the Lions seemed to shift their offensive line up quite a bit, hoping to find good chemistry and testing each players’ versatility. “It’s a great time of year to do that because so much of what we’re doing right now is communication, execution, assignment,” Patricia said this week. And with Joe Dahl in particular, his versatility has been on display. Throughout his four years—including this one—he has been Detroit’s utility piece, working at all three interior spots on the offensive line and even some spot duty as fullback. While that may be tricky for some, Dahl says good coaching and help from his teammates gives him the opportunity to learn each spot so seamlessly.“It just takes a lot of hard work and Jeff does a great job of just teaching us the offense. That’s a huge part of it is his communication to us. That just makes it so much easier” Dahl said. “And then we’re constantly just talking between ourselves. So we’re helping each other.”It’s still extremely early, especially with no pads on at this point in the offseason. However, it’s clear that in his fourth year in the league, he has value to the team. Whether that means as a starter Nick Bellore Jersey White , a versatile piece off the bench or just a special teams guy, it looks like Dahl is headed to his fourth year on the roster, which is no small accomplishment for a fifth-round draft pick. “He can be versatile in the inside positions,” Patricia said. “Again, if you can be flexible, or you have multiple roles on the team, you increase your value to the team.” Here’s what we took away from this week of practices." Detroit Lions Training CampDetroit Lions Analysis5 things we learned from Lions-Patriots joint practicesNew,38commentsHere’s what we took away from this week of practices. EDTShare this storyShare this on FacebookShare this on TwitterShareAll sharing optionsShareAll sharing options for:5 things we learned from Lions-Patriots joint practicesTwitterFacebookRedditPocketFlipboardEmailPhoto by Steven King/Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesIt’s far too early to be making any sort of big proclamations about the 2019 NFL season based on two weeks of training camp. Most teams haven’t even played a preseason game, so there’s no reason to jump to conclusions.That being said, the joint practices between the Lions and Patriots this week provided the first measuring stick for Detroit and where they may stand against the rest of the league. So here are five things we learned about the Lions during their three-day practice sessions with New England.The Hock Hype is realT.J. Hockenson absolutely dominated the first two weeks of Lions training camp, but you can never be too sure whether that has more to do with the rookie himself or the Lions defense. Detroit has had a rough history of covering linebackers, and those same concerns remain with the 2019 squad.But the Patriots have a much better linebacking corps, and Hockenson’s performance didn’t wane at all when he shared the field with New England. Maybe it’s dangerous to keep hyping up a rookie tight end Damon Harrison Jersey White , a position in which rookies notoriously struggle in their first year, but Hockenson has given us no real reasons to doubt his talent yet. Detroit may have a nickel cornerback problemOne of the Lions’ biggest offseason signings was nickel cornerback Justin Coleman, who was one of PFF’s favorite players at the position:After handing him a four-year, $36 million deal, it’s clear the Lions felt similarly about Coleman. But after a good start to training camp, Coleman started to struggle against slot receivers. That concern was only amplified after a rough set of practices against the Patriots. New England’s 2018 sixth-round pick Braxton Berrios got the better of Coleman several times throughout the week.It wasn’t all bad for Coleman. He still tallied a handful of pass breakups throughout the week, but there was more bad than good and it was really bad at times.Unfortunately for the Lions, things may have only gotten worse when backup Jamal Agnew stepped into the starting role for a day. Danny Amendola may surprise many in 2019On the other side of the coin, when Danny Amendola started to stick out during Lions practice, there was a concern that it may have just been the Lions struggling to cover the slot position. While it appears that may still be true, Amendola didn’t lose a step when stepping onto the field against his former team. Amendola’s route running is still far and above the best on the team, and it’s resulting in him getting wide open, especially on over-the-middle crossing routes.Perhaps most telling was how often Matthew Stafford relied upon Amendola in end-of-game scenarios. He’s developing into Stafford’s security blanket Womens Graham Glasgow Jersey , much like Theo Riddick was at the end of halves. Amendola may have only crossed the 600-yard threshold five times in his 10-year career, but I have to imagine he’ll do it again this year, assuming he can stay healthy. The Lions’ CB2 job may still be openRashaan Melvin has held onto the Lions’ CB2 position all camp, and he hasn’t half bad doing it. That being said, there are some clear competitors that are trending upward. Fifth-round pick Amani Oruwariye has already earned himself some first-team reps, and has looked somewhat comfortable in that role. And while he’s still injured and didn’t get any playing time against the Patriots, don’t forget about Teez Tabor. The Lions love Joe DahlIt’s still unclear which Lions guards will start in 2019, but even if Joe Dahl continues to serve as a backup, the Lions showed their commitment to their former fifth-round pick by handing Dahl a two-year extension this week. At this point, Dahl still seems like the runner up to the left guard position behind Kenny Wiggins, but considering how often the Lions are switching up their starting guards, that competition still appears to be open.