Dan Campbell said the Detroit Lions will have some of the hardest roster decisions they’ve had to make in his six seasons as coach when they trim their roster to 53 players on Sunday, Aug 30.
It’s not the first time Campbell has said that, but it doesn’t make it any less true. The Lions have a glut of rosterable players on the defensive line and tough decisions to make at tight end and linebacker, where injuries could factor into whom and how many players they keep.
“A lot of competition, a lot of good players,” Campbell said Wednesday, Aug. 26. “And we're going to have to let go of some guys that are going to be able to go to other rosters and make some waves. That could happen. That's real, and that's hard to do. But yeah, this is going to be hard,
man, on Sunday.”
Since the Lions close the preseason Saturday, Aug. 29, against the Indianapolis Colts, I figure I’d do my final roster projection a couple days early this year. Some of the players competing for back-end roster spots still could help their cause with their performance in the game, and I’ll pay special attention to those players in my coverage from Indianapolis.
But with the clocking ticking for final cuts at 6 p.m. Sunday, here’s my best guess as to who makes the team and what decisions the Lions are weighing. Along with predicting the initial 53-man roster, I took a stab at who makes the practice squad, as denoted by an asterisk (*) in the out list.
Quarterback (2)
In: Jared Goff, Josh Dobbs.
Out: Luke Altmyer*.
My thoughts: Altmyer continues to take most of the second-team reps ahead of Dobbs in practice, but I still can’t see the Lions going with an undrafted rookie as Goff’s primary backup on a roster they expect to contend for the Super Bowl. Both Altmyer and Dobbs should get plenty of reps Saturday, and Altmyer could force the Lions to keep three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster with a standout performance.
Running back (4)
In: Jahmyr Gibbs, Isiah Pacheco, Sione Vaki, Jacob Saylors.
Out: Jabari Small*, Trayveon Williams, Roydell Williams.
My thoughts: Saylors leads the Lions with 87 yards rushing this preseason, is averaging a hefty 6.2 yards per carry and is the best special teams player of the backs fighting for the No. 4 job. Pacheco hasn’t practiced in three weeks because of knee and back injuries, but I think the Lions carry him on the 53-man roster to start the year. Both Small and Trayveon Williams have run hard this preseason if they don't, or if there's room for more than one back on the practice squad.
Wide receiver (5)
In: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Isaac TeSlaa, Greg Dortch, Tay Martin.
Out: Tom Kennedy*, Dominic Lovett*, Tarik Black, Lucky Jackson, Malik Cunningham.
IR: Kendrick Law.
My thoughts: The Lions have lost their two leading candidates for the No. 5 receiver job. Law tore his ACL in the spring and is out for the year, and veteran Cedrick Wilson Jr. suffered a knee injury last week and was released from injured reserve with an injury settlement Wednesday. Martin might have made the roster anyway as the sixth receiver given his special teams ability – he could start at gunner Week 1. And while every backup has a case for the practice squad, Kennedy seems like the safest bet given his tenure with the team and Lovett is a 2025 draft pick.
Tight end (3)
In: Sam LaPorta, Brock Wright, Tyler Conklin.
Out: Jackson Meeks*, Zach Horton, Thomas Gordon.
My thoughts: I agonized over what to do with Meeks more than any other player on this list. He’s young, learning a new position, has been productive catching the ball and forced a fumble on special teams last week. He has a strong case to make the roster. But I tried to put myself in Brad Holmes’ shoes, and since I have the Lions going light on the offensive line and looking to add someone at that position off waivers, I wouldn’t want to be in the position of having to cut Meeks a day later to make room. The Lions have had enough injuries at this position – LaPorta is returning from back surgery, and they lost Anthony Firkser to a broken leg in camp – they might want to keep an extra tight end as insurance.
Offensive line (8)
In: Penei Sewell, Tate Ratledge, Blake Miller, Christian Mahogany, Juice Scruggs, Larry Borom, Ben Bartch, Miles Frazier.
IR: Cade Mays.
NFI: Gio Manu.
Out: Seth McLaughlin*, Devin Cochran*, Melvin Priestly*, Michael Niese*, Colby Sorsdal, Gus Hartwig, Mason Miller.
My thoughts: My suspicions about the Lions only keeping eight linemen on their initial 53-man roster were heightened this week when Campbell mentioned that possibility himself, saying the “back end of the O-line is always going to be up [for debate]. And … I say that, there's a chance that player's not even here yet, either.” The Lions seem locked in with their top eight linemen, and I’m betting they scour the waiver wire for a ninth lineman or try to fill that spot by trade. McLaughlin seems most likely to earn the ninth job as the backup center, but Ratledge appears to be next in line if needed in a game. I don’t know if the Lions will have to waive Niese with an injury designation, but Priestly seems like a young lineman worth developing with good position versatility.
Defensive line (11)
In: Aidan Hutchinson, Tyler Lacy, DJ Wonnum, Derrick Moore, Alim McNeill, Tyleik Williams, Skyler Gill-Howard, Levi Onwuzurike, Chris Smith, Ahmed Hassanein, Mekhi Wingo.
IR: Payton Turner.
Out: Eric O’Neill*, Anthony Lucas*, Ben Stille*, Tyre West*, Myles Adams.
My thoughts: Ultimately, I don’t think the Lions keep 11 linemen, and if they decide to put Jimmy Rolder on the initial 53-man roster – more on that below – one of Wingo, Hassanein or Smith seems like the odd man out. But I’m going heavy at this position for now because I think Holmes will try and trade from his surplus of pass rushers. Hassanein had a strong start to camp but hasn’t been quite as disruptive the past week. Wingo has some injury issues and is behind Gill-Howard as the undersized interior backup. And Smith plays a nose tackle position that tends to get lost in the shuffle. Stille has made a big push for a roster spot the past week, and I debated between him and Wingo for the last spot.
Linebacker (6)
In: Jack Campbell, Derrick Barnes, Devin White, Malcolm Rodriguez, Trevor Nowaske, Joe Bachie.
IR: Jimmy Rolder, Damone Clark.
Out: Erick Hunter*, Troy Reeder, Amen Ogbongbemiga.
My thoughts: Rolder hasn’t practiced in nearly a month, but he’s close enough to returning that the Lions might keep him on the 53-man roster to start the year. That would be the wise move from a development standpoint, if he’ll be cleared to practice in early September, and it would allow them to save an IR-return spot for someone down the road. If Rolder is out any longer, it’s probably best to IR him with a designation to return and use the roster spot on someone who can help immediately. I have Bachie winning the last linebacker spot. He’s been solid on special teams this preseason and offers more on defense than any of the other bubble players on this list.
Defensive back (11)
In: D.J. Reed, Rock Ya-Sin, Ennis Rakestraw, Nick Whiteside, Roger McCreary, Khalil Dorsey, Keith Abney, Chuck Clark, Thomas Harper, Christian Izien, Avonte Maddox.
Out: Aamaris Brown*, Bump Cooper Jr.*, Ekow Boye-Doe, Dan Jackson, Jason Taylor II, Eric Scott.
PUP: Kerby Joseph, Brian Branch.
My thoughts: The Lions are especially thin at safety right now with Joseph and Branch on the PUP list and Izien (leg) and Harper (ankle) dealing with injuries. For that reason, it’s possible Brown still plays his way onto the roster, but Whiteside has repped as a backup safety in practice, so I don’t think the Lions need to keep an extra safety. Ultimately, the Lions could look to address their depth in the secondary on the waiver wire or via trade, perhaps in exchange for an extra defensive lineman. Dorsey is one of the NFL’s best gunners, and either Abney or McCreary will start in the slot.
Special teams (3)
In: Jake Bates, Jack Fox, Hogan Hatten.
My thoughts: Nothing to explain here with only three specialists in camp.
Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lions 53-man roster final prediction: Some agonizing decisions to make
