When the Detroit Lions cut their roster down to 53 players, there were plenty of fans who went scrambling to look up who linebacker Trevor Bates was. The 2016 seventh-round pick by the Colts didn’t show up on many training camp observations, and he didn’t make any big eye-popping plays in the preseason. Yet the 25-year-old linebacker made the team over veteran Jonathan Freeny, who was regularly repping ahead of him in camp.
So why did Bates make the team? Pro Football Focus offered some clarity after they announced their 2018 NFL All-Preseason Team.