Detroit Lions roster predictions: QB, OL battles shifting

The Detroit Lions’ offense finally showed some life during their Friday preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons. Of course, that sign of life came from one quarterback in particular, who led Detroit on scoring drives in all three of his attempts. The other quarterback has yet to lead the Lions to a single point.

That shift in quarterback dynamic headlines this week’s Bubble Watch, where our staff makes their weekly predictions for who will and won’t make the Lions’ initial 53-man roster.

Let’s kick things off with the offensive side of the ball.

Allen has now put in back-to-back performances that have outdone Hooker. He looks more poised and confident running the offense, while Hooker just can’t seem to get into any rhythm. For the preseason, here are each player’s stats:

Allen: 16-of-22 for 211 yards, 2 TDS, 2 INTs, 95.1 passer rating
Hooker: 10-of-16 for 56 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT, 2 lost fumbles, 42.7 passer rating

As a result, eight of 11 staffers have moved Allen into the backup quarterback position. Interestingly, one person on staff believes Detroit may be swayed to keep three quarterbacks now, to perhaps see Hooker’s development fully through while protecting themselves in the immediate with Allen.

Still no drama here. There is a little concern about Vaki’s ability to stay healthy, given he’s missed both preseason games. But the concern is mild enough that his roster spot doesn’t seem in jeopardy.

Per request, we’ve dropped Tim Patrick down to the roster bubble after a slow start to training camp and the strong play from several Lions rookies, including Isaac TeSlaa, Dominic Lovett, and Jackson Meeks. However, our staff all have him in, likely because of what coach Dan Campbell said of the veteran receiver last week.

“I would tell you it’s not as bad as he’s portraying it,” Campbell responded to Patrick’s comments about a bad start to camp. “Tim, we know what Tim is, he’s just a steady, reliable veteran guy, plays big, he’s smart, hard worker and he’s going to put his days back-to-back and he’s going to be just fine.”

Meeks had a very strong preseason game, which could vault him into the WR6 discussion—especially with Lovett nursing an injury—but the POD staff is not overreacting to a single game.

Unfortunately, Kenny Yeboah’s injury on Friday night landed him on injured reserve, likely making this a two-man race for the TE3 job. Detroit does have two new tight ends on the roster, but we aren’t putting them on the bubble until we actually get to see them practice and/or play.

Detroit’s depth is concerning. Jamarco Jones and Dan Skipper are still nursing injuries, while Justin Herron is now gone for the season on injured reserve. That has left most of the reps to Giovanni Manu and Mason Miller. Manu is growing, but still way behind, and Miller has struggled since the opening day of camp.

That has left the entire staff pining for Skipper to return to the lineup, and his grasp on the OT3 job seems stronger than ever.

Sorsdal was a bit of a long shot to make the roster, but he was starting to make a very strong case for himself before suffering a season-ending injury on Friday night. He’s signed through the 2026 season, so he’ll have one more shot to make a case for himself next season.

Elsewhere, the staff is now unanimous in believing that rookie Miles Frazier will begin the regular season on the Physically Unable to Perform list. That opens up a roster spot, and the staff is conflicted on where that spot is going to. Everyone believes Kayode Awosika is the most trusted veteran guard right now, but the backup center battle remains unsettled. Trystan Colon has a slight lead after starting Friday’s game at center, but Kingsley Eguakun gained some ground after a bounce-back game following a tough 2025 debut against the Chargers.