Lions lock up offensive lineman Joe Dahl with two-year extension

Allen Park — The Detroit Lions locked up a key reserve, one who could end up a starter in Week 1, agreeing to a two-year extension with offensive lineman Joe Dahl on Tuesday.

A fifth-round draft pick in 2016 — general manager Bob Quinn's first at the helm — Dahl played sparingly as a rookie as he made the difficult schematic adjustment from Washington State's spread offense to a balanced professional scheme. 

In his second season, Dahl, 26, emerged as a key backup for the Lions, earning three starts late in the season.

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He fell behind veteran Kenny Wiggins on the depth chart in 2018, but in a display of impressive versatility, Dahl played some snaps at fullback down the stretch.

“Joe, he’s a real athletic guy for a big guy and a lot of the guards nowadays are pretty athletic from that standpoint,” Lions coach Matt Patricia said last season. “He’s really a guard, center, kind of one of those interior guys that can move around. … We trust him to go out there and do whatever it is you’re asking him to do at a high level and he’s going to go give you everything he has.”

This offseason, Dahl has been competing with Wiggins and Oday Aboushi for the starting guard job previously held by T.J. Lang. While Wiggins has received the majority of the first-team reps at left guard, Dahl has seen extended opportunity in recent days.

jdrogers@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @Justin_Rogers