Lions 53-man roster projection ahead of the final week of preseason

USA Today

5 hours ago

These projections go on the assumption that all the players currently on the PUP/NFI lists will remain with those designations into the start of the season. That list includes OL Miles Frazier, LB Malcolm Rodriguez, DL Alim McNeill, DL Mekhi Wingo, EDGE Josh Paschal and CB Khalil Dorsey.
Quarterbacks - 3
Starter: Jared Goff
Reserves: Kyle Allen, Hendon Hooker
Allen has unquestionably seized the No. 2 role behind Goff; Dan Campbell said as much after the preseason loss to the Dolphins.
Keeping Hooker on the 53-man roster is still up for debate. I included Hooker here because the Lions would risk losing him to waivers, and he can serve as a familiar backup who knows the offense if either Goff or Allen has to miss any time. Hooker has shown real improvement in practices, but it's not translated into game situations in the preseason, whereas Allen has thrived since the opening drive of the Hall of Fame game.
Running backs - 4
Starter: Jahmyr Gibbs
Reserves: David Montgomery, Craig Reynolds, Sione Vaki
No changes here, as the Lions foursome has been set for over a year. The players behind Vaki, who makes the Lions for special teams more than he does at RB, have changed since camp began. Detroit found a definite practice squad keeper in UFL refugee Jacob Saylors, who has been better than the banged-up Vaki on offense over the last two weeks.
Tight end - 3
Starter: Sam LaPorta
Reserves: Brock Wright, Shane Zylstra
LaPorta and Wright return as the top duo, and LaPorta has had an outstanding summer. Wright is one of the NFL's better all-around No. 2 TEs.
The third spot is still up for grabs after the Lions lost free agent Kenny Yeboah to a season-ending injury. Zylstra's familiarity in the passing offense and "known commodity" status on special teams earn him the edge over undrafted rookie Zach Horton, who can still earn the spot based on his ability to play fullback and his superior run blocking. The Lions would like to keep the No. 4 man on the practice squad, and that's probably easier with Horton than Zylstra--whose receiving skills blew away Miami's depth TEs in joint practices.
Wide receiver - 6
Starters: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Isaac TeSlaa
Reserves: Kalif Raymond, Jackson Meeks, Dominic Lovett
Isaac TeSlaa's rapid ascension into first-team reps has changed the dynamic here. Some of the third-round rookie's rise is due to Tim Patrick's balky hamstring, and Patrick's lengthy injury history gives the Lions a fair option here: cut the vet and re-sign him to the practice squad. As a vested veteran, Patrick isn't subject to waiver claims from another team.
Meeks has thrived throughout camp and preseason as a bigger target with great hands and the "grit factor" Detroit covets. The UDFA from Syracuse (and Georgia before that) has earned his spot. Raymond is the Lions' return specialist and a speedy deep threat as a reserve.
Lovett is not safely on the 53, particularly if the Lions do decide to put Patrick on (or keep an extra DB). His skills as a receiver are redundant with Raymond's but also not nearly as polished or reliable, and his special teams work has been something of an adventure. The seventh-rounder from Georgia makes it here as No. 53 of 53.
Offensive tackles - 4
Starters: Taylor Decker, Penei Sewell
Reserves: Dan Skipper, Giovanni Manu
No changes from the last projection, although the Lions could temporarily buy a spot by cutting Skipper and bringing him back to the practice squad. Like Patrick, he's not subject to waiver claims from other teams. Jamarco Jones, who has been better (notably in pass protection) for most of the summer than either Skipper or Manu, is the more likely vested vet to get that roster machination treatment.
Manu remains unready to serve as the No. 3 tackle, but the second-year developmental project has taken some steps forward. Fifth-round rookie Miles Frazier's ability to play at tackle opens up some potential to juggle things once he's cleared to play.
Interior offensive line - 5
Starters: Christian Mahogany, Graham Glasgow, Tate Ratledge
Reserves: Kayode Awosika, Kingsley Eguakun
The starters are set, and the combo of Glasgow at center and Ratledge at RG has dramatically improved together over recent practices and joint practices.
All the depth spots here, and how many the Lions keep, remain questionable. Awosika seems safe because of his ability to play guard or tackle, but he's been up and down all summer. Eguakun is still fighting Michael Niese for the backup center job, in which the second-year Eguakun has the current edge for his ability to perform better than Niese at guard.
The recent injury to Trystan Colon, who appears destined to start the season out of commission, made the depth choices here a little clearer. Frazier's status will shake things up, too. Netane Muti sure looks like a veteran practice squad stash who gets elevated when needed on game days.
Defensive tackle - 4
Starters: Tyleik Williams, DJ Reader
Reserves: Roy Lopez, Pat O'Connor
The foursome here looks more established by the day. Williams is ready as a first-round rookie, and Reader looks great on the nose. Lopez, a veteran from the Cardinals, took some time to acclimate but has stepped up recently. O'Connor's versatility--he can play any DL spot from NT to 9T--and high-effort style make him an easier inclusion than at the start of the summer.
Wingo and his recovery from a torn meniscus are a variable here, but as noted above, he's starting on the PUP list in this projection. Myles Adams is a tough-luck cut who the Lions would be wise to keep on the practice squad. Brodric Martin's recent uptick makes him slightly more difficult to waive, but he's still not as consistent as a depth NT as Chris Smith.
EDGE - 5
Starters: Aidan Hutchinson, Marcus Davenport
Reserves: Al-Quadin Muhammad, Keith Cooper, Nate Lynn, *Ahmed Hassanein
Hutchinson and Davenport have been dominant together throughout camp. Both are healthy and look great. Muhammad continues to ascend into the top reserve role and gets priority first-team reps when one of the starters sits out. The Lions have shown frequent looks with any of those three playing in a 4i/5T role, too--notably Davenport.
Cooper, an undrafted rookie from Houston, has been a revelation. He's very capably, very naturally filled the role of the injured Levi Onwuzurike as a heavy end who can play inside as well. Like Muhamad, he's not looked out of place with his first-team reps. Lynn, a UDFA a year ago, is the most consistent pass-rush threat of the remaining competition, a group that also includes Hassanein, Isaac Ukwu and Mitchell Agude.
Hassanein gets an asterisk because of his unknown injury prognosis following his early departure from the preseason contest with the Dolphins. If he's healthy, the sixth-round rookie makes it over Lynn (or ahead of draft classmate Lovett), but the chest/shoulder injury did not look good. Paschal's ongoing/unknown injury status is another wild card here.
Linebackers - 6
Starting: Alex Anzalone, Jack Campbell, Derrick Barnes
Reserves: Grant Stuard, Zach Cunningham, Trevor Nowaske
The starters were a given entering camp and have reinforced that they should be one of the NFL's best all-around LB trios. Stuard is a ridiculously effective special teams ace and an impressive run stuffer who does not miss tackles on defense. Cunningham has played his way onto the roster, though his (and Stuard's) misadventures in coverage leave a little doubt.
Nowaske gets the tentative nod here as Barnes' understudy at SAM. No. 53 has been showing more on special teams of late, which helps his cause. Ezekiel Turner has a chance to stick as a coverage specialist who is very good on special teams; he's passed Anthony Pittman on the punt and kick units, in my opinion.
Cornerbacks - 5
Starters: Terrion Arnold, D.J. Reed
Reserves: Amik Robertson, Rock Ya-Sin, Nick Whiteside
Arnold and Reed have each impressed with their grit and football IQs; Arnold appears poised to take a big step forward in his second season, while Reed represents an upgrade over Carlton Davis from a year ago--and Davis was a good player in Detroit. Robertson can start in the slot or outside.
Ya-Sin was already having a strong training camp as the No. 3 outside CB, and then he has shown in the last week that he's perfectly capable of playing safety, too. Whiteside, a UFL find, had Dolphins reporters openly salivating for the chance to poach him during the joint practices last week. His style of play and ball skills have (tentatively) earned him the spot previously designated for the injured Ennis Rakestraw.
Safeties - 5
Starters: Brian Branch, Kerby Joseph
Reserves: Avonte Maddox, Erick Hallett, Ian Kennelly
The best 1-2 safety tandem in the NFL, Branch and Joseph have each missed some time in camp with minor injuries. That has opened the door for the players battling for depth spots to get extended looks.
Maddox is a perfect utility DB, able to play any spot except strong safety. The veteran has been at his best in looks where he's in Joseph's FS role with three LBs on the field. Hallett has shown more at cornerback than safety this summer, which oddly makes him almost indispensable at this point.
The last spot here is still very much up for grabs after rookie Dan Jackson's season-ending injury. I give the nod to Kennelly, a 2025 UDFA from Grand Valley State, over Loren Strickland, a 2024 UDFA, for his higher upside and dramatically better coverage skills. But if the Lions are looking for a hard-hitting box safety in that role, Strickland gets the edge. My speculation is that another team would snatch up the athletically gifted Kennelly much more than Strickland as a sort of positional battle tiebreaker.
Morice Norris and his availability following his scary brain injury in the preseason game against Atlanta remains a variable here, too.
Specialists - 3
Punter (and holder): Jack Fox
Kicker: Jake Bates
Long snapper: Hogan Hatten