Lions' Grant Stuard is carving out a brand new role ahead of 2025 season
It's extremely difficult to miss Detroit Lions linebacker Grant Stuard between his long flowing hair and electric personality. But, if you've been watching the preseason this year, you may have noticed that Stuard's special teams role has expanded a bit.
To kick off the 2025 NFL preseason, Stuard fielded a kickoff ran it about 26 yards and fumbled - experiment over, right? It had to be head coach Dan Campbell messing around.
It was not. And, when the Lions gave up a score to the Los Angeles Chargers in that same contest, Stuard went back out as a kick returner once again. Stuard, so far, has returned 4 kicks for 112 yards this preseason, and it appears we may just be getting started with the Stuard kickoff experiment.
Stuard solidifying his role as newest Special Teams ace
Special Teams coordinator Dave Fipp spoke to the media on Tuesday about Stuard's potential as a punt returner, saying, "He's showed a bunch of great things and then it said to us, ‘OK, now we got to invest more time in him, to be fair to him and help him with ball security, and stuff like that,' but it’s now worth the investment because of what he’s shown. So, we’re excited about him.”
While many are surprised about Stuard's transition to returning kicks, the Hall of Fame game wasn't the first time he's done it. Stuard did record one kick return for 31 yards in college, possibly giving him some leverage for lobbying for an opportunity.
When the NFL transitioned to the XFL-style dynamic kickoff, special teams coordinators went to the drawing board about how to take advantage of the new rule. Some likened the blocking scheme to how an offensive line would run inside/outside zone, while the Pittsburgh Steelers even considered having quarterback Justin Fields back there.
The new facet of the game completely changed the strategies special teams coordinators were deploying regularly.
For Stuard, this has only added to his arsenal and made him more of an asset to the Lions. He's proven to be able to cover punts, kicks, and block, while also adding solid depth as a linebacker. He registered 19 tackles in an October 20 win vs the Miami Dolphins last season while with the Indianapolis Colts, showing just how lethal he can be on defense alone.
For NFL teams looking maximize the usage of every player on their 53-man roster, Stuard appears to have nabbed himself with another year in the league by becoming a special teams ace, of sorts. Not shabby work for "Mr. Irrelevant" from the 2021 NFL Draft.
