The Colby Sorsdal Question Nobody Was Asking But Dan Campbell Just Answered Anyway
Full disclosure: I forgot Colby Sorsdal was still on this roster until March. That’s not a judgment call, that’s just what happens when a guy gets hurt at training camp, gets cut before the season starts, clears waivers, lands on injured reserve, and then sits there for an entire year without playing a snap. Out of sight, out of mind.
But the Lions kept him around. And now Dan Campbell is telling us why.
Sorsdal was a fifth round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. He’s been moved from tackle to guard and back again. He hasn’t played a regular season game since his rookie year. So what exactly is the front office seeing here that the rest of us are missing?
Campbell on Why Sorsdal Still Has a Real Shot
Campbell didn’t dodge the question. He leaned into it.
“Our eyes are open every year. Whether it’s free agency or draft or any of these, you’re acquiring competition, that’s really what you’re doing,” Campbell said. “Obviously the more that you invest in somebody, you’re saying you feel like that’s the guy who’s probably going to take that spot, but it’s not a guarantee. So he’s very much in that, our eyes are open. He’s coming back off of that injury, he’s doing a good job out here. We’re not in pads, but hey, you know, we’ll see. There’s been guys in this league, it happens more than you would think, that are overlooked, or things happen, or it’s injury, and all of a sudden, out of nowhere, they just start, they get their confidence up, they start making plays, and they earn a role, they earn a spot. Our eyes are open, he’s got an opportunity.”
Translation: we haven’t given up on him, and neither should you.
The Path Is Narrow But It Exists
Let’s be realistic. Larry Borom is the presumptive favorite to lock down the swing tackle job, and it would be a genuine shock if he didn’t win it. But Sorsdal can challenge there. He can also fight for a depth spot alongside or instead of Giovanni Manu, who might be running out of chances himself.
To make the roster, Sorsdal would have to beat out veteran Devin Cochran, UDFA Melvin Priestly, and second year UDFA Mason Miller. That’s not a cakewalk. But it’s doable.
And if Campbell is saying the eyes are open, you better believe they are.
Trust the Process Even When You Forgot the Player
Look, the Lions front office has earned the benefit of the doubt when it comes to roster decisions that don’t make immediate sense to the rest of us. If they kept Sorsdal around through an entire lost season, there’s a reason.
Maybe that reason pans out this summer at Allen Park. Maybe it doesn’t. But writing off a guy Dan Campbell is still publicly vouching for? That feels like a mistake.
So is Colby Sorsdal a forgotten depth piece or a late blooming success story waiting to happen? Drop your honest take below.
This is exactly the kind of patience and faith I love about what Campbell and Holmes are building. They’re not cutting guys just cause they had a bad year, they’re actually evaluating talent. If Dan is saying Sorsdal still has a shot, I’m listening.
Look I get what Campbell is doing with the whole open competition angle, but realistically how many guys actually come back from a full year of sitting on IR and just take a starting spot? It happens but not often. I hope I’m wrong about this one though.
Man, back in the day we would’ve just cut a guy like this and never looked back. The fact that the org is still invested in Sorsdal after all this tells you something different about how they operate now. That’s progress in my book.
Campbell doesn’t hype guys up for no reason. If he’s publicly saying Sorsdal’s got an opportunity and the eyes are open, there’s something there. I trust this staff to see what the rest of us can’t sometimes.