Lions quarterback Jared Goff missed his third straight practice on Friday and that means Tim Boyle is expected to make his first NFL start against the Browns on Sunday.
Boyle got all of the first team work in practice this week and is knocking off rust from being on injured reserve since early September. Boyle broke his thumb in the preseason, but said it is 100 percent on Friday and that he never “skipped a beat” mentally because he’s been at meetings and games while rehabbing his injury.
That leaves Boyle confident that he is prepared for the opportunity that came his way thanks to Goff’s oblique injury.
“Opportunities, especially in the NFL come very few times, unfortunately, but that’s the beauty of the NFL, it’s so competitive,” Boyle said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “It’s been a long journey. Just kind of reminiscing on my story, starting football when I was 6 years old and here I am as a 27-year-old and still blessed to have this opportunity. So it really is, it’s about preparation and always staying ready so yeah, I’ll be ready to go.”
Given the Lions 0-8-1 record and Goff’s lackluster play, a good outing for Boyle will lead to questions about him staying in the job whether Goff is healthy or not. That would qualify as a good problem for Lions head coach Dan Campbell to deal with in the weeks to come.