The Detroit Lions walked away from their preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals with a loss. Despite falling to 0-1 in the never-important preseason standings, it was a learning experience for all involved. Players got their first live reps of the 2026 season, coaches gained insight on their roster, fans got a look a new players, and media personnel learned how to pronounce difficult names like Amen Ogbongbemiga—preseason always matters.
With one preseason game in the bag and two more still
to come, has the Lions roster gained some clarity? Here is my projected 53-man roster, with plenty of difficult ins and outs to consider.
Quarterbacks (2)
QB Jared Goff
QB Luke AltmyerQB Joshua Dobbs
Right off the bat, we have a difficult choice. Do the Lions keep the more experienced and reliable Dobbs, do they keep the undrafted rookie who has shown promise thus far, or do they keep both? Initially, my choice was to keep three quarterbacks, but it led to a numbers crunch elsewhere on the roster. However, Dobbs has the benefit of not being subject to waivers due to his accrued seasons, and that led to some roster gymnastics.
If the Lions cut Dobbs, I think the Lions could get the best of both worlds: keep Altmyer on the 53 and off waivers, while also re-signing Dobbs to the practice squad and elevating him to the game-day roster for the first two weeks. By Week 3, perhaps the team will have more confidence in Altmyer as QB2 or an injury on the roster will open up a spot for Dobbs. This choice merely kicks the can down the road, but I see no harm in trying to keep both backups in the organization.
Running backs (4)
RB Jahmyr Gibbs
RB Isiah Pacheco
RB Sione Vaki
RB Jacob SaylorsRB Raheem Blackshear
RB Jabari SmallRB Trayveon Williams
Personally, I think this room has been all but settled. Vaki has had a difficult start to training camp, but his value on special teams is unquestioned in the eyes of the coaching staff. Elsewhere, Saylors has taken a massive leap in the RB4 battle ahead of his contemporaries, and his contributions on special teams make keeping a fourth running back palatable—in fact, you could make an argument that Saylors is ahead of Vaki on offense.
Wide receivers (5)
WR Amon-Ra St. Brown
WR Jameson Williams
WR Isaac TeSlaa
WR Greg Dortch
WR Cedrick Wilson Jr.WR Tarik Black
WR Malik Cunningham
WR Lucky Jackson
WR Tom Kennedy
WR Dominic LovettWR Tay Martin
IR (season-ending): Kendrick Law
Despite a slow start to training camp and a poor preseason showing against the Bengals, TeSlaa is still safely on this roster. As is Dortch, who looks like the team’s top returner option. That leaves one or two spots for reserves, and I currently have just Wilson taking that spot. I like Lovett’s ability to get open, but until he can corral the ball consistently, I can’t justify keeping him. Players like Black, Kennedy, and Martin as also in the hunt—all it could take is one big performance to reshuffle this depth chart.
Tight ends (3)
TE Sam LaPorta
TE Brock Wright
TE Tyler ConklinTE Thomas GordonTE Zach HortonTE Jackson Meeks
IR (season-ending): Anthony Firkser, Miles Kitselman
I think that the top three are obvious locks, so the real debate is whether you keep a fourth tight end. Meeks is the frontrunner right now, and him seeing action early in the preseason game shows that the coaching staff likes him ahead of his competition. I have him on the outs since I wanted to allocate that roster spot elsewhere, but he has the talent to strengthen his case in the coming weeks.
Offensive linemen (9)
LT Penei Sewell
LG Christian Mahogany
RG Tate Ratledge
RT Blake Miller
IOL Juice Scruggs
OT Larry Borom
OG Ben Bartch
OG/OT Miles Frazier
OC Seth McLaughlinOT Devin CochranOG/OT Mason MillerIOL Michael Niese
OG Melvin PriestlyOT/OG Colby Sorsdal
Assumed IR (not season-ending): Cade Mays
Assumed NFI: Giovanni Manu
The biggest question right now is the status of Mays and his wrist injury. As he is expected to miss a few months recovering, I think a stint on the Injured Reserve makes sense, ruling him out for at least four games. That leaves an opening at starting center, which will likely be filled by Scruggs (although Ratledge getting first-team snaps in practice is an interesting wrinkle to watch for).
Additionally, I think there is now an opening for a backup center behind Scruggs and McLaughlin’s encouraging preseason performance gives him an edge. Of the remaining reserves, the only question mark was Bartch due to his injury absence, but with his return to practice recently, I expect him to solidify his roster spot before long.
Defensive tackles (6)
DT Alim McNeill
DT Tyleik Williams
DL Levi Onwuzurike
DL Tyler Lacy
DT Skyler Gill-Howard
DT Chris SmithDT Myles Adams
DL Ben Stille
DL Tyre West
DT Mekhi Wingo
IR (season-ending): Aidan Keanaaina
I think the top five in this group are fairly obvious, although there is a non-zero chance that Onwuzurike could find himself on the roster bubble in the next few weeks if his game does not pick up soon. I have had Smith as in since the release of Jay Tufele, and he looks like the best nose tackle option behind McNeill and Williams. Wingo and West have disappointed thus far.
Edge defenders (4)
EDGE Aidan Hutchinson
EDGE DJ Wonnum
EDGE Derrick Moore
EDGE Ahmed Hassanein
EDGE Anthony Lucas
EDGE Eric O’NeillEDGE Payton Turner
Aside from Turner, the reserves in this group have impressed, but I only have room for one of them. Hassanein is teetering on the edge of being a lock, but I am not ready to solidify his roster spot yet. At least one of Lucas or O’Neill should be practice squad candidates. Turner, meanwhile, slides further and further behind as he continues to battle injury—the Marcus Davenport comparisons are not easing up.
Linebackers (6)
LB Jack Campbell
LB Derrick Barnes
LB Malcolm Rodriguez
LB Trevor Nowaske
LB Damone Clark
LB Devin WhiteLB Joe BachieLB Erick HunterLB Amen OgbongbemigaLB Troy Reeder
Assumed IR (not season-ending): Jimmy Rolder
The health of Rolder is another significant question mark that could reshuffle this group. As a rookie that would be largely limited to special teams, I do not think they need to rush him back and can afford to stash him on IR to start the year. His injury prompted the Lions to sign White, and the veteran has thus far impressed—he may even jump Clark and Rodriguez on the depth chart and become the Lions’ LB3 or 4. I still believe that Nowaske (who donned the green dot against the Bengals) and Clark are good bets to make the roster thanks to their roles on special teams. Bachie and Ogbongbemiga have had positive moments, but they are on the outside looking in.
Cornerbacks (7)
CB D.J. Reed
CB Rock Ya-Sin
CB Roger McCreary
CB Ennis Rakestraw
CB Keith Abney
CB Khalil Dorsey
CB Nick WhitesideCB Ekow Boye-Doe
CB Ryan “Bump” Cooper
I went back and forth on this group for awhile, but I came to the conclusion that keeping seven cornerbacks makes sense. Whiteside has been the star of camp so far, and I cannot justify cutting him at this point. Elsewhere, Abney and McCreary had a great game against Cincinnati and look capable of playing inside or outside. Dorsey has quietly been playing well on defense, and his elite special teams ability should make him a safe roster choice.
That leaves Rakestraw as the biggest question mark. He had a poor outing in preseason, not only in terms of coverage lapses but also because he suffered another injury. Sure, the injury was not severe (he returned to practice on the weekend), but for a player with limited tape, he needs to make the most of his live reps. The truth is that if he was not a second-round pick, I would have him as out. I don’t think the Lions are ready to give up on him yet, but he needs to justify their trust in the next two preseason games.
Safeties (4)
S Thomas Harper
S Christian Izien
S Avonte Maddox
S Chuck ClarkS Dan JacksonDB Aamaris Brown
Assumed PUP: Brian Branch, Kerby Joseph
Another position where injuries could drastically change the outlook of the roster. If both Branch and Joseph start the season on PUP, keeping the quartet of Clark, Harper, Izien, and Maddox is a simple decision. However, if one of those starters returns to action, how will the depth chart shake out? Would a player like Clark or Maddox be at risk? Would another position have to sacrifice the spot a depth player? Those are questions I am not pondering now, but the Lions will surely be considering it if Branch and/or Joseph are ready to suit up.
Specialists (3)
K Jake Bates
P Jack Fox
LS Hogan Hatten
Nice and simple. Part of me wants Detroit to sign another punter to give Fox some time off, but c’est la vie.
Players on the fringe
QB Joshua Dobbs (OUT)
WR Dominic Lovett (OUT)
TE Jackson Meeks (OUT)
OC Seth McLaughlin (IN)
DT Chris Smith (IN)
CB Ennis Rakestraw (IN)
These are the players I was waffling on the most when making my 53-man roster. I think you could make a case for all six of these players being on or off the roster, but due to the constraints of an NFL roster size, I had to make some tough choices.
Of these names, I think Meeks is my top “OUT” candidate, as I desperately wanted to find space for him but couldn’t pull the trigger. Inversely, I think Rakestraw is firmly on the hot seat and, by this time next week, I might give his roster spot to Meeks. Lovett has the potential to be a big riser if he can turn his targets into yardage, while McLaughlin could fall off if the Lions are serious about training Ratledge at center. I already mentioned the roster workaround to get Dobbs to stay with the team, but if Altmyer falters and Dobbs succeeds, he will be an easy choice to keep. As for Smith, he has fans in the coaching staff, but as a backup nose tackle, his roster spot will always be endangered.
