Forming a 53-man roster is a never-ending business in the NFL. The Detroit Lions may have settled on an initial 53-man roster and 15 of their 16 practice squad players, but general manager Brad Holmes and the rest of the Lions’ personnel department are not “finished.”
The job of an NFL personnel employee is never done. The search for upgrades at every position continues throughout the entire season. Whether it’s free agency, the waiver wire, the NFL Draft, the trade deadline, or any other time of year,
there is a humongous pool of football talent available, and opportunities abound.
That job never ends, because no NFL roster is perfect. There are holes, depth issues, injury insurance needed, and new players who just don’t end up working out. The Detroit Lions are no exception to this.
You better believe that this week the Lions will continue to look across the NFL landscape and hundreds of newly available players and see if they can upgrade their team. But before they do that, they need to evaluate the status of their own roster. So today’s Question of the Day is:
Where is the Lions’ 53-man roster (and practice squad) the weakest?
My answer: I think my answer is the same it was when the Lions entered training camp: cornerback.
While I’ve certainly been encouraged by the play of starters D.J. Reed and Rock Ya-Sin thus far, I haven’t had that same level of optimism with the depth. Ennis Rakestraw had a very up-and-down camp with more downs than ups. Roger McCreary, who I believed to be a savvy pickup, has had flashes (particularly in the first two preseason games), but has underwhelmed from my previous expectations. The most promising player amongst the depth is Nick Whiteside, and Detroit didn’t even believe he played well enough to warrant a spot on the 53-man roster, risking losing him by putting him on waivers before bringing him back to the practice squad.
The situation at nickel may be even more dire. While things were trending toward Christian Izien winning the starting job before his injury, that felt more like no one winning the job than anything. McCreary didn’t stand out. Rakestraw was kept on the outside. And rookie Keith Abney is clearly still adjusting to being a full-time nickel after having more success on the outside in college. Not only do I not know who the starter at nickel will be in Week 1, I’m not sure who the best possible reserve is, either.
I say all of this not to induce panic. I’m actually a pretty big fan of the rest of this roster, and if the Lions can get plenty of healthy playing time out of Reed and Ya-Sin, maybe they’ll hold up at cornerback, too.
But if I were Holmes and company, I’d certainly keep my ears and eyes open to upgrading the cornerback room.
Which position do you think the Lions could use the most help on their 53-man roster or practice squad? Share your thougths below.
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