Detroit Lions 53-man roster projection after the first preseason game

ALLEN PARK, Mich. — We’re three weeks into training camp and have followed the Detroit Lions from Day 1 through joint practices and their preseason opener. That’s enough of a sample size to project Detroit’s 53-man roster. No easy task, but one worth taking a swing at.

While we have a good idea of the players the Lions will be depending on this year, the roster is certainly fluid in some spots. WR3 is far from decided. Same with the reserve offensive line. The back end of the DB room could come down to a few names. Just to name a few.

Let’s discuss the roster, position by position, with an explanation of each choice.

Quarterbacks (3)

Jared Goff
Hendon Hooker
Nate Sudfeld

This might be controversial because I know folks are down on Sudfeld after the preseason opener vs. the Giants. But the staff likes him, he has experience, knows the offense and can help Goff prepare for weekly opponents. Hooker — now dealing with a concussion — is the high-upside option and has shown flashes, but the consistency isn’t there. Considering this is his first full season, that’s OK. But I think this is trending toward a three-man room.

Running backs (4)

Jahmyr Gibbs
David Montgomery
Craig Reynolds
Sione Vaki

The Lions have arguably the best running back duo in the league, and Craig Reynolds has gotten a ton of work in this summer. He’s the clear RB3 at the moment. The team won’t run the risk of losing Vaki by placing him on the practice squad, so he’ll be on the roster while he continues to develop. His performance in the preseason was a good step in the right direction. It’s hard to justify five running backs, but Jermar Jefferson is catching everyone’s attention and will make this a discussion if he keeps performing. If not, the practice squad seems likely.

Wide receivers (5)

Amon-Ra St. Brown
Jameson Williams
Daurice Fountain
Kalif Raymond
Antoine Green

Williams looks like a regular in this offense. It feels like he’s ready for WR2. Much is made of the WR3 spot in this offense. Right now, it looks like Fountain has the most trust from the staff, but nobody has stepped up to take the job. It’s almost like the coaches are begging someone to. Granted, WR3 won’t be a major target with so many mouths to feed, but the sense I get is this position is far from solidified. We could be looking at a committee.

Just my two cents: I’m not sure Detroit’s WR3 is on the roster.

Offensive line (9)

Taylor Decker
Graham Glasgow
Frank Ragnow
Kevin Zeitler
Penei Sewell
Colby Sorsdal
Dan Skipper
Giovanni Manu
Michael Niese

NFI: Christian Mahogany

This feels like a year the Lions could go with 10 offensive linemen while they continue to develop their young prospects. Skipper will play when the Lions trot out their jumbo package. Sorsdal has mostly been playing tackle this camp. He should make the team. Whenever Zeitler or Ragnow miss practice, Niese is usually the first interior lineman to get the nod. I think he’s trending in the right direction. Manu is a project tackle who isn’t expected to see the field this year. The depth here is largely unproven, so it wouldn’t be shocking to see someone like Kayode Awosika or Ike Bottenger make it. Mahogany had a ton of experience at Boston College, but he’s missed all of training camp with an illness and is just now back in the building. Could see him on NFI to start the year as he ramps back up.

Shane Zylstra earned first-team reps when Sam LaPorta sustained a hamstring injury. (Kimberly P. Mitchell / USA Today)

Tight ends (4)

Sam LaPorta
Brock Wright
Shane Zylstra
James Mitchell

LaPorta and Wright are basically co-starters the way the Lions use 12 personnel. After that, though, the question is three tight ends or four?

I’m going with four, though it wasn’t an easy decision. Shane Zylstra has been the best of the rest. He’s earned first-team reps with LaPorta missing time with a hamstring injury. He was also spotted with his hand in the dirt in an I-formation set playing some fullback. Former fifth-round pick James Mitchell hasn’t really flashed this summer, but we’ve yet to see a Holmes pick within the first six rounds fail to make the roster. For that reason, he’s in. For now.

Defensive tackle (6)

Alim McNeill
DJ Reader
Levi Onwuzurike
Brodric Martin
Mekhi Wingo
Kyle Peko

Defensive tackle is pretty fluid. DJ Reader might not be ready for the start of the season as he recovers from a torn quad. He still hasn’t returned to practice. Might be one of those scenarios where he’s going to miss time to start the year, but not enough to start on the PUP list, which would sideline him for four games.

If that’s the case, the Lions probably keep five other tackles. Onwuzurike is basically a hybrid edge/tackle at this point, so factor him in when thinking about the edge rotation. Peko has spent a lot of time with the first-team defense, so he could be Reader’s stand-in when the Lions are in their SAM package — a five-man look featuring Aidan Hutchinson, McNeill, Peko (Reader), Onwuzurike and Barnes. He’s taken reps from Martin, who still has work to do. Wingo has looked good as a rotational piece, so he rounds out the list.

Edge (5)

Aidan Hutchinson
Marcus Davenport
Josh Paschal
James Houston
Mitchell Agude

IR: John Cominsky

Outside of the top three, edge is a bit uncertain. I’m higher on Houston than some of my colleagues on the beat and believe Houston’s pure pass-rush ability is too good to leave off the roster. I already mentioned Onwuzurike as a factor along the edge. Normally, Cominsky would be here, but he’s going to miss a few months, at least, with a torn MCL. If the Lions go with five edge rushers, the fifth spot is up for grabs. Nate Lynn was making some plays, but Campbell confirmed he’ll likely miss the entire 2024 season with a shoulder injury. I’m not sure former CFL defensive player of the year Mathieu Betts has done enough to make the team, and the coaching staff even took SAM linebacker responsibilities off his plate. Need to see more from him.

Two guys I’m looking at: Isaac Ukwu, who flashed in the preseason game with a sack, and Mitchell Agude. As of now, I’d go with Agude. But this is fluid.

Linebacker (5)

Alex Anzalone
Jack Campbell
Derrick Barnes
Malcolm Rodriguez
Jalen Reeves-Maybin

I think this room is pretty set, though the wildcard could be a guy like Ben Niemann taking over the Anthony Pittman role on special teams. Not much more to say. Campbell and Anzalone are your starters at Mike and Will, Barnes will play the hybrid SAM spot — rushing the passer or dropping into coverage on a given snap. Rodriguez and Reeves-Maybin are depth and special team contributors. Not a ton of drama here.

Cornerbacks (5)

Carlton Davis III
Terrion Arnold
Amik Robertson
Ennis Rakestraw Jr.
Khalil Dorsey

IR: Emmanuel Moseley

The loss of Moseley hurts the depth here a little bit, but this is still looking like a solid room if the rookies are ready to go. The difficult choice was between Dorsey, Kindle Vildor or Steven Gilmore for the fifth spot. I went with Dorsey because he’s a bit more valuable on special teams and the staff loves him. Not to mention, you probably won’t be relying too much on your CB5 as a defensive contributor most years. That was Gilmore a year ago, who was inactive most Sundays. Ideally, Gilmore sticks around on the practice squad and continues to develop.

Safeties (4)

Brian Branch
Kerby Joseph
Ifeatu Melifonwu
C.J. Moore

This was a difficult choice between Moore, Brandon Joseph and even Morice Norris. Of the three, Norris has made the most plays. Joseph has been given the most reps between the spring and training camp. But Moore is the most valuable on special teams. A good case for all three, hence the difficulty. My gut feeling tells me Moore is the one guy special teams coordinator Dave Fipp will fight for. Remember: the Lions signed Moore to a new contract before he was suspended a year for violating the NFL’s gambling policy. The minute his suspension was up, the Lions brought him right back. My guess is they’ll try to stash one of Joseph or Norris on the practice squad, while Moore maintains his spot as a special teams ace.

Specialists (3)

Jack Fox
Jake Bates
Hogan Hatten

Last year, I had Jake McQuaide making the team over Scott Daly. In my eyes, teams don’t bring in long snapper competition unless they have questions about their starter. Daly ended up winning the job, so credit to him, but here we are again a year later with Hatten — a UDFA out of Idaho. Hatten’s relative athletic score of 9.89 was the third-highest of all time for a long snapper. He also played linebacker in college, and it shows on punt coverage. He was the first guy involved in the play below:

.@mrjackfox starts the year with a 62-yard 💣#DETvsNYG | 📺 Lions TV Network pic.twitter.com/uF5ZsybzWL

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) August 8, 2024

“That’s a real competition,” Campbell said of the long snapper position. “One of the reasons we wanted to bring Hogan in was he was intriguing in his coverage ability. He did play linebacker in college. So, he runs pretty good, and he kind of has an awareness on the football, and he’s played some defensive snaps for us — a couple. We needed him in there with where we were at at linebacker to finish a game out. So, that’s what he’s got. …Daly has been able to snap consistently and under pressure, big games, different looks, handling the protection and the snap. So, that’s the next step for (Hatten). He has to be able to prove that he can do that with a rush on him. Some of these hard situations are what we have to try to put him in. It is a real competition right now.”

Daly’s probably the frontrunner, but I’m going on a limb with Hatten as LS1.

(Top photo of Daurice Fountain: Perry Knotts / Getty Images)