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USA Today
13 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Lions 53-man roster projection ahead of the final week of preseason
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
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Liona Lefau named to Polynesian Player of the Year Award watchlist
The Texas LB room is dominated by Anthony Hill Jr, for good reason. He is the leader of this group and one of the best LBs in the country. He is not the only LB for Texas that is getting preseason hype however. Liona Lefau, who totaled 63 tackles and 2 sacks a year ago, has been placed on the Polynesian Player of the Year Watchlist. It is the second award watchlist he's been placed on, joining the Butkus Award. The award has never been won by a Longhorn, and Lefau would join the likes of Tua Tagovailoa and Marcus Mariota if he were to win. This is still a relatively new award, only starting in 2014, when Marcus Mariota won, but the list of winners is star studded, including top WR in the NFL Draft, Tetairoa McMillan. It has quickly become a great honor for all players of Polyneisian descent in college football(as well as NFL and highschool). Lefau, I'm sure, would love to join this elite crew and be celebrated, but it is going to take a remarkable year. Some of the other contenders for the award include Makai Lemon(USC WR), Francis Mauigoa(Miami OT) and rival Jaydn Ott(Oklahoma RB). It is a loaded group of some of the best players in the entire sport, as the recruiting pipeline to Hawaii has increased since Mariota came onto the scene. Although the competition is fierce, Lefau can absolutely be the winner of this one, given the expectations for him this year. The Polynesian Bowl, Hall of Fame and Player of the Year award have all become massive pieces of the college football world recently, and the legacy of all of those precede them. Lefau would be able to etch his name into an elite group of players and become the first(hopefully of many) Longhorns to be honored with this award. Lefau heads into this year as the comfortable starter next to Anthony Hill Jr., but there will be more bodies in that room that are likely to rotate in. I believe Lefau can stand out in a big way this year, and if he does he could have an incredible honor waiting for him at the end of the year. This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Polynesian Player of the Year watchlist includes Texas LB
USA Today
24-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
We hit 45 in our Raiders countdown to kickoff. Who wore it best and who's wearing it now
We've reached 45 days until the Raiders season opener at Foxboro against the Patriots, With our countdown at 45 days we take a look at who currently dons the number in Silver & Black and who has brought it the most distinction. No. 45 Who's wearing it now: LB Devin White The Raiders revamped their linebacker corps this offseason. They let Robert Spillane and Divine Deablo leave in free agency and added White, Elandon Roberts, and Germaine Pratt. White spent the first five years of his career in Tampa where he was a starting linebacker for the Bucs in their Super Bowl championship season in 2020. White made the Pro Bowl the following season. But his career has taken a sharp downward turn over the past couple seasons. The 27-year-old veteran signed a one-year deal with the Raiders and was in line to start at outside linebacker alongside Roberts, but with the addition of Pratt, we will have to wait and see what their plans are for the three of them. Pete Carroll has talked about instances in which all three would be on the field at the same time, but that's increasingly out of the ordinary in today's NFL. Who wore it best: DB Dave Grayson After four seasons with the Texans/Chiefs in which he made three Pro Bowls and one All Pro, the Oregon alum joined the Raiders. Over his six seasons in Oakland from 1965-70, Grayson made three more Pro Bowls and was thrice and All Pro. He was on the Raiders 1967 Super Bowl team as well. Honorable Mention: FB Marcel Reece Reece went undrafted in 2008 as a WR/TE out of Washington. He would switch to fullback with the Raiders and went on to make three Pro Bowls. He was a rare bright spot during some dark years for the Raiders.
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Wells Fargo Maintained a Buy Rating on LandBridge Company (LB), Kept the PT Unchanged
LandBridge Company LLC (NYSE:LB) is one of the . On June 27, analyst Roger Read of Wells Fargo maintained a Buy rating on LandBridge Company LLC (NYSE:LB) with a price target of $93. Roger Read recognized that LandBridge Company LLC (NYSE:LB) is known for its distinctive position in the market, with growth prospects that set it apart from peers. The analyst believes that the company's ability to generate significant free cash flow from surface and subsurface assets is underappreciated by the market. Moreover, its valuation is linked to an Industrial Real Estate Investment Trust, using multiples of adjusted funds from operations. Read believes that this highlights the company's ability to generate steady cash and investment appeal. A drilling rig manned by engineers and oil field workers preparing to explore a new petroleum reservoir. Analyst Read also likes the company's substantial presence in the Permian Basin, which provides it a competitive edge in water disposal services. The sector is expected to grow alongside increased shale oil production. In addition, LandBridge Company LLC's (NYSE:LB) extensive land assets position it to benefit from datacenter infrastructure and renewable energy projects. LandBridge Company LLC (NYSE:LB) owns and actively manages approximately 273,000 surface acres primarily in the Delaware sub-basin of the Permian Basin. While we acknowledge the potential of LB as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 30 Stocks That Should Double in 3 Years and 11 Hidden AI Stocks to Buy Right Now. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
Boston Globe
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
‘He knew how to entertain on and off the ice': Cam Neely and Bob Sweeney fondly remember ex-Bruins teammate Lyndon Byers
A native of Nipawin, Saskatchewan, Byers played 261 games across nine seasons in Boston. He became a fan favorite/cult hero shortly after the franchise took him in the second round of the 1982 NHL Draft. A prolific scorer during his junior days — he netted 32 goals in back-to-back seasons with the WHL's Regina Pats — Byers morphed into an energetic enforcer at the NHL level. To wit: He collected 613 penalty minutes in 145 games from 1987-90. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up A prolific scorer during his junior days, Lyndon Byers morphed into an energetic enforcer at the NHL level. Bill Brett/Globe Staff Advertisement 'The thing I think people don't realize about LB, he was a talented offensive player coming out of junior hockey, but he also could take care of himself,' said Sweeney, himself a 1982 Bruins draftee who is now the president of the Boston Bruins Foundation. Byers was a colorful character who fit in perfectly with the rough and tumble Bruins teams of the late 1980s that included heavy hitters Jay Miller and Nevin Markwart alongside Cam Neely, the league's preeminent power forward. A member of the 1988 team that broke the Canadiens' 45-year playoff stranglehold on the Bruins, Byers played on two Stanley Cup Final teams. Advertisement Cam Neely always knew Lyndon Byers had his back. Bob Dean/Globe Staff Byers took on all customers, and Neely, his close friend and now the franchise's president, appreciated the attitude of his fellow right winger. 'One of the things about a guy like LB, he probably went into every game thinking, 'I may have to fight today.' And that's a different mind-set to have as a hockey player, as an athlete. It's like, 'Wow, I might have to fight.' And that was certainly the case when you go into Philly and you could just see how wound up he was, knowing that that probably will take place. Like it did enough times in various buildings, but in Philly in particular,' Neely said. 'But just knowing that he's got your back. Any time that he was in the lineup, you knew he had your back. No matter who you were on the team, everybody felt like, 'OK, we've got someone that's got our back,' and that was LB.' Neely said Byers knew when it was time to drop the gloves but also when it was time to drop a comical line to loosen up his teammates. The man knew how to read the room. 'He loved to have a good time. No question. Funny man. But you grew up in Saskatchewan, you're a little bit of a different breed, and I can say that lovingly because I spent 10 years of my life there. So those Saskatchewan boys are different. It's an interesting way to grow up. Hockey's a big part of it,' said Neely. 'I've met a lot of really good people through LB that played the game that are from Saskatchewan. But it was his sense of humor, and he knew the timing of it to get the room loosened up a little bit. He did a really good job of that. Maybe sometimes a little too much, but he knew when to loosen it up and when to tighten it up.' Advertisement Cam Neely said of friend and former Bruins teammate Lyndon Byers: "He loved to have a good time. No question." Grossfeld, Stan Globe Staff Byers later worked as a radio host at WAAF for nearly 25 years, often regaling listeners with tales from his playing days. It was a second career that surprised neither Neely nor Sweeney. 'That was kind of meant to be for him. He was not shy. The great thing about hanging out with LB, I could just let him do his thing and I could just sit in the corner and enjoy the show,' said Neely. 'He knew it was about entertainment, and he knew how to entertain both on and off the ice.' Sweeney appreciated how Byers, who was known for starting sentences with 'not for nothing,' never took himself too seriously on the air. 'He would always do the 'Sports Minute,' and he would screw something up or whatever,' said Sweeney, 'and his listeners would always call in and say, 'LB, that's the NBA, not the WNBA,' or whatever it was. And he'd be like, 'Yeah, whatever, kid. Get over it, guy.' ' Neely said a memory that will stick with him was seeing Byers during the New Blood, New Beginnings Centennial Era Night at TD Garden on Jan. 20, 2024. 'Looking back now, for him to be on the ice and be received the way he did by the fans, because they certainly appreciated the way he played as a Bruin, and for him to experience that with his wife and [son] Will in the building, I think that probably meant the world to him to be able to have that experience,' said Neely. 'He was long from his playing days before he had his son. So, I think for his son to see what he meant to Bruins fans, I think was something very special for LB.' Advertisement Jim McBride can be reached at
