With the Detroit Lions’ final preseason game on the books, the front office and coaching staff are now tasked with reducing their 91-man roster down to 53 players in preparation for the regular season. Final decisions are due by 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, but we are expected to see some transactions roll in over the next few days.
Typically, during the offseason, Jeremy Reisman and I publish a joint projection of the Lions’ 53-man roster, but at this final stage, we opted to do individual predictions to help readers understand what we each believe the Lions will decide—note: not what we would do.
If you missed Jeremy’s 53-man roster prediction (COMING SOON), be sure to check it out. But without further ado, here is how I see things playing out.
Note: An asterisk (*) denotes the player is a rookie
Jared Goff
Kyle AllenHendon Hooker
Allen and Hooker opened training camp in a close battle for the QB2 role, but over the last three games, Allen has separated himself as the clear and better option moving forward. In those three games, Allen completed 26 of 30 for 310 passing yards, five touchdowns, and zero interceptions. He also had two games in which he registered a perfect 158.3 passer rating.
“It’s good to see Kyle really take it to where he’s gone. Feel very comfortable with him,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said of Allen following the Lions’ final preseason game.
Meanwhile, over his four games during the preseason, Hooker was 22 of 40 for 187 passing yards, zero TDs, three interceptions, 36.1 passer rating, along with eight rushes for 62 yards, two fumbles. But the most damaging stat is that Hooker led 20 drives this preseason and only managed three points—and that was on a drive that started at the Dolphins’ 27-yard line following a muffed punt.
At this point, I’m less concerned about Hooker getting claimed than I am wondering if he’ll even be brought back to the practice squad. When a coach starts talking about “change of scenery,” it’s time to speculate on his future in Detroit.
Jahmyr Gibbs
David Montgomery
Craig Reynolds
Sione VakiJacob Saylors Deon Jackson
No drama here, as things played exactly as expected. The Lions will likely return all four running backs from last season, and all of them hold important roles on the offense and/or special teams. Vaki has been nursing a hamstring all of training camp and ended up missing three of the Lions’ four preseason games. Campbell acknowledged Vaki’s current injury might keep him out a bit, but “it’s not a major thing.”
Keep an eye on Saylors for a spot on the Lions practice squad; Lions coaches like him quite a bit.
Amon-Ra St. Brown
Jameson Williams
Tim Patrick
Kalif Raymond
Isaac TeSlaa*
Dominic Lovett*Jackson Meeks*Tom KennedyRonnie BellJakobie Keeney-James*Malik Taylor
The first five receivers are locked in, but after that, there’s some debate. I really wanted to keep seven wide receivers, because it’s easy to see the futures for rookies Lovett and Meeks. However, in the end, I went with six because of all the other talented skill players on this roster, squeezing out opportunities for WR6 and WR7, as well as needing more depth at other positions. Not only will there be five other wide receivers ahead of them in the pecking order, but two tight end sets are used frequently in this offense, and two running back sets are becoming a more common occurrence.
The debate between Lovett vs. Meeks was not an easy one. While Meeks has put up significantly better preseason numbers, Lovett has consistently been the guy the Lions have put into feature spots, and if he didn’t miss time with an abdominal injury, I think most people would be looking at him differently. Meeks is a big-bodied, contested-catch WR-X, but that is something they’ll need in the future, not necessarily this season. Lovett is a speedy slot with outside range and has the ability to contribute as a gadget player, a useful trait this season. Both are good blockers and special teamers, and both are in legitimate competition for a gunner role opposite Khalil Dorsey. While Meeks is the better blocker, Lovett is the better gunner, and his ability to return kicks in a pinch gives him another slight edge.
Meeks, if not claimed, would be a lock for the practice squad, as is Kennedy, but the Lions may try to make room for Bell, and Keeney-James has some developmental promise.
Sam LaPorta
Brock Wright
Shane ZylstraZach Horton* Steven Stilianos Gunnar Oakes
There was little doubt LaPorta and Wright are TE1 and 2, respectively, but Zylstra had to fight off Kenny Yeboah (now on season-ending injured reserve) and Zach Horton to keep his TE3 role. Horton got close, mainly due to his talents as an H-back/fullback blocker, but he made too many rookie mistakes to knock off the incumbent. A spot on the practice squad is likely waiting for him.
Penei Sewell
Taylor Decker
Dan Skipper
Giovanni ManuJamarco JonesGunner Britton
Skipper solidified his spot at OT3 from the start through the finish of camp, while Manu showed steady growth but is still a ways away from competing at an NFL level. He’s certainly worth keeping as OT4/OL9 and developing, but he’s still on a long path to meaningful snaps.
If Jones could’ve stayed healthy, he may have given the Lions something to think about here, but the fact of the matter is, he’s dinged up far too often to be relied upon for more than a practice squad role.
Interior offensive line (5)
Graham Glasgow
Christian Mahogany
Tate Ratledge*
Kayode Awosika
Kingsley EguakunNetane MutiMichael Niese Mason Miller* Zack Johnson
Redesignation to Reserve/PUP: Miles Frazier*
Move to Return/Injured Reserve: Trystan Colon
Glasgow (whose injury is minor) and the young guards held starting roles from the first snap of camp, and they have been building chemistry throughout training camp. Awosika seized the top reserve guard spot about halfway through camp and stayed comfortably ahead of his competition, with the next closest probably being Muti.
Centers Eguakun and Colon separated themselves from Niese about halfway through camp, but an unfortunate injury to Colon allowed Eguakun to take control of the backup center role. Look for Colon to likely be put on the Lions Return/Injured Reserve list, meaning he’ll have to sit out the first four games of the season, but could potentially return once healthy.
Muti, Niese, and Miller all have a shot at the practice squad.
Aidan Hutchinson
Marcus Davenport
Al-Quadin Muhammad
Nate LynnIsaac UkwuMitchell Agude
Redesignation to Reserve/NFI: Josh Paschal
Move to Return/Injured Reserve: Ahmed Hassanein*
Hutchinson, Davenport, and Muhammad will see the majority of base edge reps for the Lions, but they’ll need to lean on a few interior defensive linemen to fill the 4i role in their base defense (when a SAM linebacker is on the field). I gave the nod to Lynn as EDGE4 because he gives the Lions a different type of edge rusher—more speed than power—than the big bodies that play at the 4i spot.
I’m projecting Hassanein to land on the Return/Injured Reserve list, and Paschal to shift to Reserve/NFI, which means both will miss the first four games of the season. However, when either is healthy enough to return to play, there could be a shake-up in how the EDGE room is designed.
Ukwu and Agude could return to the practice squad.
DJ Reader
Tyleik Williams*
Roy Lopez
Pat O’Connor
Mekhi Wingo
Keith Cooper*
Chris SmithMyles AdamsBrodric Martin
Redesignation to Reserve/PUP: Alim McNeill
Six may seem like a lot of interior players, but there are three roles to be filled from this group, and Wingo is just returning from injury. Reader and Williams have a lock on the starting nose tackle and 3-technique roles, while Lopez can assure the Lions are never without a fresh nose tackle available. O’Connor, Wingo, and Cooper can all contribute reserve reps at the 3T spot, but they’ll also be key contributors in the 4i role.
I’m expecting O’Connor to be the starter at 4i and backup at the 3T, with Cooper to be his backup until he is challenged by a player returning from injury. At 4i, Cooper will be looking over his shoulder at Wingo’s acclimation process, as well as Paschal, after the first four games of the season. At the 3T, everyone will likely bump down a spot when McNeill is healthy enough to return from his stint on the PUP. He’s missing at least four games and will return hopefully sometime in October, though a range of dates has not been confirmed yet.
Jack Campbell
Alex Anzalone
Derrick Barnes
Grant Stuard
Trevor Nowaske
Zach CunninghamAnthony Pittman DaRon Gilbert
Redesignation to Reserve/PUP: Malcolm Rodriguez
Move to Injured Reserve: Ezekiel Turner
Campbell, Anzalone, and Barnes are one of the best linebacker trios in the NFL and will hold down their MIKE, WILL, and SAM roles, respectively. Barnes’ ability to play all three spots gives the Lions more than average depth across the board.
Amongst the reserves, Cunningham can play the MIKE and WILL, Stuard is mainly a WILL, while Nowaske is the only backup at SAM and is also showing promise as a backup MIKE. Here’s how I see the linebacker depth chart for all three positions:
When Rodriguez returns from injury—he’ll miss at least four games while on Reserve/PUP—he’ll likely challenge Cunningham for a role, seeing as they play very similar roles in the Lions defense. Nowaske and Stuard are further down the depth chart, but their spots are safer because of their roles. Nowaske is the only backup SAM on the roster, and Stuard is a dynamic special teamer and is likely headed for a starting kick returner role.
Unfortunately for Turner, he may possibly have an Achilles injury, which could end his season.
Terrion Arnold
D.J. Reed
Amik Robertson
Avonte Maddox
Khalil Dorsey
Erick Hallett
Nick WhitesideAllan GeorgeTyson Russell D.J. Miller Luq Barcoo
Arnold and Reed are locked in outside starters, while Robertson is the Lions’ starting nickel and primary backup on the outside. Maddox is the Lions’ top reserve nickel, will probably see the field in DIME packages, and gives Detroit more depth at safety. Dorsey will also take on a reserve role on the outside, but he might take a backseat to Rock Ya-Sin, who is repping with the safeties but has six years of outside cornerback experience in man-coverage schemes.
I could have left the group at five, but I’m not fully confident Dorsey is ready to contribute after just being activated from PUP, and I am also not 100% sure if Ya-Sin is being considered for a corner role anymore, as he’s played the majority of reps at safety the last three weeks. That left me looking for another contributor, and Hallet has played the best of the remaining reserves. Not only are his tackling skills on point, but he has a good feel for all five spots in the secondary, and that’s a massive luxury when making the game-day roster.
“He’s a guy that can play all the positions,” Campbell said of Hallett in the preseason. “You need a corner, you need a nickel, you need a safety; he can do them all. Mentally, he knows them all. […] So, he’s kind of our get-us-out-of-trouble (guy).”
Whiteside and George start the Lions’ final preseason game at outside corner, so keep an eye on them for the practice squad.
Brian Branch
Kerby Joseph
Rock Ya-Sin
Ian Kennelly*Loren Strickland
Move to Injured Reserve: Morice Norris
Branch and Joseph are arguably the best safety tandem in the NFL, and Ya-Sin gives them a steady veteran in a reserve role. Maddox’s ability to also play safety means the Lions could opt to stick with those four, but Detroit likes to use their safeties on special teams, and Kennelly fits the bill. Not only is he a player worth developing, but he has been a starting special teamer in all five phases (kick coverage/return, punt coverage/return, and FG/XP block) throughout the entire camp.
Norris could be another candidate for Return/Injured Reserve, but with no real update from Campbell to suggest otherwise, I have him moving to season-ending injured reserve. If the Lions do want to keep his ability to return open—as well as Hassanein and Colon—they’ll need to do a bit of roster gymnastics.
Jack Fox (P)
Jake Bates (K)
Hogan Hatten (LS)
No competition means they’re all safe and sound.
At a glance, here’s a look at Erik’s current 53-man roster projection:
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