As Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell said following the team’s preseason finale, their win over the Indianapolis Colts provided some clarity at some positions and muddied the water at others.
Both Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes will have some tough decisions ahead—and little time to make those roster choices. But I did my best guess to predict those moves with my final 2026 Detroit Lions 53-man roster prediction.
Side note: Don’t forget to check out Erik Schlitt’s 53-man prediction as well.
Jeremy’s final Lions 53-man roster prediction
Quarterback (2)
- Jared Goff
- Josh Dobbs
Luke Altmyer
Up until Saturday, I don’t think Dobbs had done anything to win the backup job, but that preseason finale was a nearly perfect performance. Meanwhile, while I think Altmyer was fine and a bit of a victim of circumstances, Saturday also highlighted his biggest weakness: processing speed. He held onto the ball too long, leading to a couple of sacks, including a lost fumble.
I really like Altmyer’s potential, so I hope Detroit is able to keep him around on the practice squad and allow him to develop.
Running back (4)
- Jahmyr Gibbs
- Isiah Pacheco
- Sione Vaki
- Jacob Saylors
Jabari SmallTrayveon WilliamsRoydell Williams
This is relatively straightforward to me. The only question here is whether Isiah Pacheco’s injury will bleed into the regular season and if the Lions believe Vaki and Saylors would be adequate offensive help. Certainly, Saylor’s incredible play in the preseason finale will help ease some minds.
Wide receiver (5)
- Amon-Ra St. Brown
- Jameson Williams
- Isaac TeSlaa
- Greg Dortch
- Tay Martin
Dominic LovettTom KennedyMalik CunninghamLucky JacksonTarik Black
Season-ending IR: Kendrick Law
There are only two questions here, in my opinion: who is WR5 and will the Lions consider a WR6?
Tom Kennedy has a case for WR5, but his only contributions on special teams are as a returner, and Greg Dortch/Jacob Saylors should be able to handle those situations just as well. Tay Martin, on the other hand, has been repping at just about every special teams spot during training camp, and has made some flashes on offense, too.
Kudos to Lucky Jackson for a phenomenal rebound after an early mental mistake on Saturday. It could be enough to make a difference, but Martin was also solid on Saturday and has been more consistent throughout camp.
I opted not to keep a sixth out of necessity for more players elsewhere, including at….
Tight end (4)
- Sam LaPorta
- Brock Wright
- Tyler Conklin
- Jackson Meeks
Thomas GordonZach Horton
In my opinion, Meeks has shown enough growth to warrant consideration for keeping a fourth tight end. He’s also very capable on special teams. Here’s what Dan Campbell had to say after Meeks’ preseason game in Week 2.
“He’s strong, and he’s willing, and he’s smart,” Campbell said. “So, it’s just time on task. He’s another one, but you see how he attacks special teams. He gives our guys fits on special teams, too.”
Meeks struggled in blocking on Saturday, but his touchdown pass will only help his case.
Offensive line (8)
- LT Penei Sewell
- LG Christian Mahogany
- C Juice Scruggs
- RG Tate Ratledge
- RT Blake Miller
- OT Larry Borom
- T/G Miles Frazier
- G Ben Bartch
C Seth McLaughlinRG Mason MillerLT Devin CochranLG Melvin PriestlyRT Colby SorsdalC/G Michael NieseC Gus Hartwig
IR-to return: Cade Mays
Reserve/Non-Football Injury: Giovanni Manu
Mason Miller did just about all he could for me to seriously consider him for the eighth or ninth spot. What an incredible performance in the preseason finale as the emergency center with no experience.
Ultimately, though, I’m not sure anyone earned that backup center job. So, instead, we’ll save a roster spot here, bring Miller or Seth McLaughlin—who is in concussion protocol—back via the practice squad, and elevate them as the backup for the first few weeks of the season. It’s unconventional and mildly risky, but I don’t think there’s a realistic shot Detroit loses either to waivers. Or maybe they find an upgrade at center elsewhere.
I rostered Frazier because of his versatility and potential, and Bartch because he’s now healthy and I’m not counting out his chances to eventually truly challenge for a starting job, even with the season underway.
Interior defensive line (5)
- 3T Alim McNeill
- DT Tyleik Williams
- 3T Skyler Gill-Howard
- DT Chris Smith
- DT Ben Stille
3T/5T Levi Onwuzurike3T Mekhi WingoDT Myles Adams3T Tyre West
In one of my final thoughts heading into the preseason, I claimed I’m not giving up on Levi Onwuzurike. But after a month of seeing him struggle with pad level and not make much of an impact, it’s hard for me to say he justified a spot on this roster. Saturday was the breaking point for me. He played into the second half and failed to make an impact, while the rest of the defensive line has been consistently making plays all August.
Ben Stille also didn’t make any plays on Saturday, and he didn’t play until well after Onwuzurike, but he’s put together a better camp overall. And I can’t shake just how much Campbell gushed about Stille earlier this week, particularly his versatility to fill every spot—much like John Cominsky had in previous years.
“What’s the intrigue with him is the versatility, man,” Campbell said of Stille. “He can play some big end, we think; he can play the nose certainly, and then three if you needed it. So the more you can do and the more that you can prove you can do, that is always going to help your case.”
EDGE (5)
- EDGE Aidan Hutchinson
- EDGE DJ Wonnum
- Big End Tyler Lacy
- EDGE Derrick Moore
- Big End Ahmed Hassanein
Rush End Anthony LucasRush End Eric O’Neill
Nothing too surprising here. O’Neill has made a strong case late in camp and finished with a strong preseason game, but he’s likely to land on the practice squad if he clears waivers. He continues to notch pressures, but getting washed in the Colts’ touchdown run is something that I’m sure Campbell will remember.
Linebacker (6)
- MIKE Jack Campbell
- SAM Derrick Barnes
- WILL Devin White
- WILL Malcolm Rodriguez
- SAM Trevor Nowaske
- MIKE Joe Bachie
WILL Erick HunterMIKE Troy ReederWILL Amen Ogbongbemiga
IR-to-return: Jimmy Rolder
I made the tough decision to put Rolder on IR. While it seems like he’s nearly ready to return to practice, his lack of reps in training camp means he likely wouldn’t see the field much early in the season anyways. So let’s save the roster spot and get him back to practice in a month. No need to hurry it up.
So where does his roster spot go? Bachie has been repping the highest of the bunch, has some defensive experience (seven starts), and is pretty dang good on special teams, too. That said, I would not be surprised if Reeder or Ogbongbemiga wins the job. Hunter is a fun project, but I don’t think the Lions have the roster space. Let’s hope he returns on the practice squad.
Cornerback (7)
- CB D.J. Reed
- CB Rock Ya-Sin
- CB Nick Whiteside
- CB Ennis Rakestraw
- NB Keith Abney
- CB/NB Roger McCreary
- CB Khalil Dorsey
CB Ryan “Bump” CooperCB Ekow Boye-DoeCB Eric Scott
This feels like a bit of overkill at cornerback, but Whiteside may be considered depth at safety at this point, and given the high injury rate at cornerback, I wouldn’t think twice about rostering seven.
Rakestraw and McCreary are probably closest to the roster bubble, but Rakestraw brings untapped potential, and McCreary brings versatility as both an outside and inside guy. Neither player played particularly well in the finale, but at least Rakestraw finally got his big play with the interception.
Safety (4)
- S Avonte Maddox
- S Chuck Clark
- NB/S Christian Izien
- S Thomas Harper
DB Aamaris BrownS Dan JacksonDB Jason Taylor II
Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform: Brian Branch, Kerby Joseph
At this point, I think it’s a no-brainer to keep Branch and Joseph on PUP. They haven’t shown signs of being ready to return to practice recently; it saves a roster spot, and a new rule allows them to start practicing after just two games instead of four, if they’re ready.
Unfortunately, there are injuries to be worried about beyond those two. Maddox, Izien, and Harper are also currently sidelined, so Detroit may need to add to this position. Aamaris Brown played well in the finale, but I’m not sure it was enough. This could be where the Lions make an external add, but it’s also very possible that Maddox, Izien, and Harper are all ready by Week 1. I’ll take the optimistic route and say this is the group they roll with.
Specialists (3)
- P Jack Fox
- K Jake Bates
- LS Hogan Hatten
Guaranteed to be right, although Jake Bates’ shaky preseason may warrant a practice squad kicker for competition.
