Lions Lowdown

Anquan Boldin had such a huge impact on the Lions last season, many thought the veteran wide receiver might be inclined to return to Detroit.

It didn’t happen.

Maybe Lions GM Bob Quinn knew something. Perhaps he didn’t think he could count on Boldin to stay with the team.

Boldin signed with the Buffalo Bills on Aug. 7. On Sunday (Aug. 20) he informed the Bills that he would retire after 14 NFL seasons, according to an ESPN report. In-between those dates the Bills traded wide receiver Sammy Watkins to the Los Angeles Rams.

Oops.

Boldin had been lining up in the slot with the first team in the 13 days that he was with the Bills.

Boldin issued a statement on Sunday that read: “Football in its purest form is what we all strive for as a nation. People from all different races, religions and backgrounds working together for one shared goal. The core values taught in football are some of the most important you can learn in life. To always be there for the guy next to you and not let your fellow man down. You do whatever it takes to make sure your brother is OK.

“Football has afforded me a platform throughout my career to have a greater impact on my humanitarian work. At this time, I feel drawn to make the larger fight for human rights a priority. My life’s purpose is bigger than football.”

Boldin caught 67 passes for 584 yards and eight touchdowns in 2016, his only year with the Lions. He was signed a day before 2016 training camp, stepped in and was almost immediately up to speed on the offense. He and Matthew Stafford were on the same wave-length from the get-go.

He ranks ninth in the NFL in all-time career receptions with 1,076.

The 36-year-old’s training regimen set a good example for the wide receivers and every player in the locker room.

The Lions don’t seem to be hurting for depth at wide receiver which could be a reason they did not bring back Boldin.

Golden Tate, Marvin Jones and rookie Kenny Golladay are locks for the 53-man roster, then look for a battle between TJ Jones, Jace Billingsley, Jared Abbrederis and Keshawn Martin for the remaining four or five spots.

The Lions are 2-0 in the preseason after a 16-6 win over the N.Y. Jets on Saturday night. Next up they’ll face the New England Patriots at 7 p.m. on Friday at Ford Field.

Ameer Abdullah spoke out this week about racism and Charlottesville, Va. When asked if he and his teammates discuss the issues in the locker room, he was quick to say they are focused on the N.Y. Jets, the opponent in the Lions’ second preseason game at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday at the newly renovated Ford Field.

The Lions won their preseason opener handily 24-10 over the Colts at Indianapolis on Sunday. Adjustments will be made for the Jets. Some changes are forced due to injuries, some will happen because of performance in the opener.

Here are five things to watch:

1. Johnson Bademosi stands out for his special team play. It’s all good and was the reason he was signed in 2016. In training camp Bademosi has also been strong defensively. “He is playing much better (on defense) than he’s played at any other point in time through practice,’’ coach Jim Caldwell said. “He’s always been outstanding in terms of special teams, he’s rare in that regard, particularly covering punts. Between him and Don Carey, one of the things we used to say a long time ago, if you find a guy who can beat double press and force a fair catch, that it’s more than likely he’s going to be on somebody’s team. Both those guys have that kind of ability. So, that’s been part of his (skillset), but he’s becoming better in terms of his coverage skills, and I think that’s because of familiarity with the system, he’s gotten a little bit better feel and he’s got length and he’s got speed. Those are the things that you really like about him, and he’s rugged. He’ll get his hands on you and he’s pretty physical, so he’s making good strides I think.”

2. Safety Miles Killebrew, who also excels at special teams, got a good long look at Indianapolis on defense. Look for more of the same this week. Killebrew, in his second year, is one tough dude and has a better grasp of the defense.

3. Without Kerry Hyder and Brandon Copeland, the other defensive ends will get more reps. Jeremiah Valoaga had a good game against the Colts. Can he keep it up? Don’t forget to keep an eye on veteran Cornelius Washington (he practiced this week so may play Saturday) and also undrafted rookie Alex Barrett who has had a good training camp. Barrett was on the Lions’ radar on draft weekend but they passed as did the other 31 NFL teams. “Obviously, our scouts had seen him earlier and he had just a number of the traits that we were looking for. He’s very, very active. He’s got power, got speed, he’s got a variety of moves and he’s one of those guys that you knew was going to help you,’’ Caldwell said. “So, we tried to do as good a job as we possibly could making certain he knew we were interested, and were fortunate to get him.”

4. Greg Robinson proved that GM Bob Quinn knew what he was doing when he signed the veteran just after discovering Taylor Decker will miss the early part of the season after shoulder surgery. Robinson, who was the second overall pick by the Rams in the 2014 draft, has a little something to prove. He’s never lived up to his billing but sometimes a change of scenery can extend a career. Will be interesting to see if he can build on what he did against the Colts. He said the coaches graded him hard but he was not complaining he knows he has work to do. (If it seems like there are plenty of Robinsons on the Lions’ roster, you are correct. Along with Greg, there’s defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson and tackle Corey Robinson. Together they weigh 966 pounds — that is indeed a lot of Robinson.)

5. Ameer Abdullah was so happy to get back on the field after missing the last 14 games of 2016. He wants more playing time this week. He needs to get hit a bit to get back in the flow. It’s a fine line though. A healthy Abdullah for 16 weeks could make a huge difference in the offense.

ALLEN PARK >> Kenny Golladay’s  solid showing in his first preseason game, Sunday’s win at Indianapolis, has bumped him up on the depth chart.

At Wednesday’s practice the rookie wide receiver was lined up with starters Golden Tate and Marvin Jones. At the game, TJ Jones started with the two veterans.

Coach Jim Caldwell, always cautious to praise rookies too much, explained the move.

“He’s one of those guys that we’re just trying to make certain that we give him a bit of experience in a little bit of everything to kind of see where he fits,’’ Caldwell said.

“We have an idea, but you really don’t know until you give him a chance to really delve into one spot or the other. So, we’re trying to cross-train him a little bit, but he has the speed and has the length and those kinds of things you look for, for good matchups on the outside,’’ the coach added.

He’d like all wide receivers to be able to play at every spot. With some of them that is just not possible.

“Often times you may find a guy that only fits a particular role, but the more flexible you are, the better. And particularly in our system, because we line up guys in all different types of spots,’’ Caldwell explained. “Even in their normal position you still have to line up in various positions, so you have to know all of the route combinations and those kinds of things.

“But, we’d love to be able to move guys around, it makes them a little bit tougher to double cover. Makes them a little bit tougher to plan on in terms of where they’re going to be. Gives us a lot more flexibility that way,’’ Caldwell added.

Golladay, the third-round draft pick out of Northern Illinois, has earned “darling of the week” status around the NFL.

Against the Colts, he had three receptions for 53 yards.  Two of them were for touchdowns — both from Jake Rudock.

He’s a lock to make the Lions’ 53-man roster behind Tate and Marvin Jones. Others in the conversation for the competition for the other one or two wide receiver spots are TJ Jones, Jared Abbrederis, Jace Billingsley and Keshawn Martin.