Lions with the most to gain (or lose) in joint practice and preseason finale vs Texans

USA Today

15 hours ago

It's crunch time for the players battling to make the Detroit Lions 53-man roster. With just one joint practice against the Houston Texans and then Saturday's preseason finale in Ford Field still to go before the roster cutdown deadline next Tuesday, it's time for one final surge from a few Lions who are on the roster bubble.
These are the players with the most on the line in the upcoming matchups with the Texans. Others are certainly on the bubble as well, but it feels like these are the players who can help themselves the most in the eyes of Dan Campbell and the Lions coaching staff in the final session of camp and preseason finale.
Keith Cooper
A week ago, during the joint practices with the Miami Dolphins, Cooper sure looked like a roster lock. The undrafted rookie DL from Houston was getting first-team reps and winning battles against Miami's starting offensive line.
With Mekhi Wingo being activated off the PUP list, Cooper's somewhat tenuous grasp on a roster spot grows murkier. Cooper and Wingo effectively play the exact same position, a heavy DE who can reduce inside and cause problems with quickness. The Lions have more invested in Wingo, a sixth-rounder in 2024, and he did have some moments in limited duty (175 snaps) as a rookie. Keeping both Cooper and Wingo can be done but seems unlikely, what with the similar Pat O'Connor (and Josh Paschal once he's healthy) also in the mix and (presumably but not definitively) ahead of Cooper.
Jackson Meeks
An undrafted rookie wideout from Syracuse, Meeks has done everything required of him to make the final 53-man roster. He catches everything near him, blocks well, runs strong routes and contributes positively on special teams. For my money, he's been better than last year's UDFA WR who made the initial 53-man roster, Isaiah Williams (now in Cincinnati on the Bengals roster bubble).
The case for Meeks is to do enough more to convince the Lions that they must keep him ahead of other bubble players at other positions. It's hard to quantify what exactly that might entail, but catching another touchdown pass or sealing a key block on a long kick return, of which Meeks did both in the preseason loss to Miami, wouldn't hurt No. 83's chances. Of all the players listed here, Meeks feels like the most likely to get claimed by another team off waivers, with several other teams losing key wideouts to injuries this preseason.
Netane Muti
The veteran guard has remained healthy all summer, which is no small feat for Muti; he was in line to make the team a year ago before a shoulder injury cost him a season.
This year, his play at guard hasn't quite been as noteworthy. Muti has been fine on the second-team units, but not the dominant run blocker we saw in 2024's preseason. That Muti only plays guard works against him in a battle with holdover reserves Kayode Awosika and Dan Skipper, who can play tackle, and reserve centers (and guards) Kingsley Eguakun and Michael Niese. With those reserve spots still undecided, Muti will need to dominate against the Texans to prove that his lack of versatility is worthy of keeping.
Loren Strickland
Strickland and undrafted rookie Ian Kennelly are fighting for the same spot as the final reserve safety. Kennelly's superior athleticism and ball/coverage skills have been on display all summer, but Strickland can still prove himself. His blitzing ability and box safety work are much closer than Kennelly's to what the Lions had in the spot a year ago with Ifeatu Melifonwu, and Strickland has definitely had his moments on special teams as well. No. 24 needs a strong showing in coverage, notably in red zone opportunities--where he's been largely picked apart all summer.
Dominic Lovett
Lovett is the only drafted rookie on here, in part because fellow seventh-rounder (and Georgia teammate) Dan Jackson is out for the season. The speedy wideout has been up and down throughout training camp, never really stacking multiple good days in a row. Be it dropped passes, ineffective (but not lacking effort) blocking, missed assignments on punt and kick coverages, Lovett hasn't consistently kept up with competitors like Meeks, Tom Kennedy or even Ronnie Bell.
Still, it's hard to cut a rookie draft pick. Other GMs might see an opportunity to try and salvage something off the waiver wire. And Lovett has clearly had his strong days too, looking very much like someone who can take over for the similarly styled Kalif Raymond in 2026. Lovett is one of the toughest calls to make the Lions, or not.
Brodric Martin
For the better part of three summers, Martin did very little to distinguish himself as an NFL talent outside of his draft status. Now the 2023 third-round nose tackle is firmly up against the wall, and big No. 98 responded with the best two weeks of practices and preseason games of his career. Aside from some preventable preseason penalties against Miami, Martin very much looked like a worthy keeper as a run stuffer who can get into the backfield.
It's almost certainly too little, too late for Martin in Detroit. But another impressive display against another team--the offensive line-challenged Texans--could make the Lions' decision much more difficult.
Nick Whiteside
Whiteside kept playing his way up the Lions cornerback depth chart, seizing the opportunity created when Ennis Rakestraw went on I.R. His physical coverage, impressive ball skills and strong tackling are exactly what the Lions want in an outside CB, and the UFL standout offers coveted length and grit, too.
Alas, the Lions activating veteran holdover and special teams ace Khalil Dorsey puts a huge crimp in Whiteside's chances of making the initial 53.