Lions praise unsung hero after Detroit's NFL preseason opener

On Saturday, Lions head coach Dan Campbell was asked if any players stood out from Detroit's NFL preseason opener at the Cincinnati Bengals after film review. Campbell highlighted defensive tackle Chris Smith. A 26-year-old that first joined the Lions as an undrafted free agent out of Notre Dame in 2023, Smith has been a mainstay on Detroit's practice squad over the past three seasons. The 6-foot-1, 320-pounder was signed to the Lions' active roster on three occasions during the 2024 campaign, appearing in five games and registering a pair of tackles. "This happens naturally. Sometimes you can’t always see all the dirty work that goes on and you’re not going to know until you get in there. Like Chris Smith, I thought played his tail off. The amount of just slug it out, dirty work that guy does. I mean, we had one clip, we’ve only got 10 on defense and he’s smart enough to say, ‘You know what? Fine.’ "He just gets to a zero nose to balance out the front. We’ve only got three and he battles in there, he takes three guys on. I thought he played well. And you don’t always get to see that stuff because there’s so much going on in there, but he did a good job," Campbell said. Campbell was asked to share more of what he and the Lions like about Smith. "He just does everything right. He does all the little things right. He doesn’t make the same mistake twice. He’s the guys you love to coach, because he’s up here all offseason, works his tail off, is always trying to hone his game. He plays disciplined football. "He’s a grinder. He’ll do it. He’ll take on double teams for 60 plays if you ask him to do it. That’s a thankless job and it’s hard and nobody really sees that. You don’t get any love, but he doesn’t care. To him, that means more to him to know that he’s keeping his linebacker free. That’s his heaven, so it’s unselfish and it’s hard. It’s a nasty job and it’s not for everybody and so that’s why you appreciate it," Campbell said. Per Pro Football Focus, Smith logged 29 defensive snaps against the Bengals. For more Lions coverage, follow us on X, @TheLionsWire, and give our Facebook page a like. Follow Josh on X, @JoshOnLions This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Lions praise unsung hero after Detroit's NFL preseason opener