There’s just over a week until the Detroit Lions—and every other NFL team—must cut their roster down to 53 players. That makes Saturday afternoon’s preseason game between the Lions and Washington Commanders an important one. For many, this will be one of the final chances to not only impress their own team, but put out good tape for other teams to find.
So here are 10 players to keep an eye on during Saturday’s game.
QB Josh Dobbs
The Lions typically prefer to have a veteran backup quarterback, so you’d think Josh
Dobbs would be the favorite to win the job, despite only being added to the roster less than two weeks ago. But Dobbs has not gotten much playing time during practice or the preseason, so it’s hard to know where he stands.
Coach Dan Campbell said Dobbs will get the start on Saturday, giving him a chance to play with some starters and make a strong impression. Can he do enough to keep undrafted rookie Luke Altmyer at bay?
RB Sione Vaki
Vaki’s roster spot is not really in question due to his special teams value, but the Lions have been trying to develop him as a running back since they drafted him two seasons ago. Unfortunately, injuries have limited his ability to get reps, but Saturday is finally a chance to bank some running back snaps and show off his progress.
WR Tay Martin
Martin has been the biggest riser midway through camp. Both Campbell and special teams coordinator Dave Fipp have raved about his special teams skills, but can he make an impact on offense? With no clear leader for the WR5 and/or WR6 jobs, Martin has a chance to make a statement—as do Dominic Lovett, Cedrick Wilson, and Tome Kennedy.
The entire starting offensive line
It’s unclear how many starters will end up playing on Saturday, but if I were Dan Campbell, I’d at least give every starting offensive lineman a series or two. With the shuffling of lineups—particularly on the interior—the chemistry is still clearly not where it needs to be. So Campbell would be wise to use this opportunity to get those valuable snaps in.
Any sign of progress when it comes to chemistry would be welcome, especially with expected starter Juice Scruggs now finally ramping up to a full set of snaps each practice. I suspect he’ll split time with Seth McLaughlin—and I wouldn’t be surprised if Penei Sewell sits entirely—but the more reps built with the offensive line, the better.
EDGE Derrick Moore
Moore has missed a bunch of camp with an injury, but he returned this past week and made an impact immediately. The rookie second-round pick could make his preseason debut on Saturday, and how he performs against the Commanders could go a long way in determining how much of a role he’ll have out of the gate.
DT Ben Stille
Stille has a long road to go to win a roster spot, but he’s a player who has seemingly made a play every day in camp over the last couple of weeks. Capable of playing anywhere from the nose to the big end spot, Stille’s disruptive play at camp has him officially on my sleepers list. Could he work his way onto the roster bubble and upset someone like Levi Onwuzurike for a roster spot? I’m not counting it out completely.
LB Devin White vs. LB Malcolm Rodriguez
There’s quietly a starting competition at play at the linebacker level. Malcolm Rodriguez had what seemed like a pretty strong hold on the starting WILL linebacker job, but then he suffered an ankle injury, missed about a week of practice, and the Lions signed Devin White. Since then, it’s mostly been White with the starters and Rodriguez working his way back with the second-team defense.
I believe this remains a battle, and how both perform against the Commanders could shift the dynamics as Detroit enters the final week of training camp.
LB Erick Hunter
Hunter has been the most talked-about UDFA rookie, and for a good reason. He consistently makes plays on special teams, and flashes on defense as well. Lions special teams coordinator Dave Fipp simultaneously praised Hunter while also preaching caution due to his frequent mistakes. A small-school player may need to develop for a year on the practice squad, but if Hunter balls out Saturday, he may make the Lions think twice about subjecting him to waivers.
CB Keith Abney
Over the past week, Abney has slowly worked his way into the starting nickel conversation. He’s split time with Christian Izien with the starters, which has been a good experience for the rookie fifth-round pick. He’s still clearly adjusting to the nickel position, but Saturday should be a big opportunity for him to go up against a fairly talented Commanders receiving corps (Stefon Diggs, Terry McLaurin, and Luke McCaffrey).
S Dan Jackson
Thomas Harper missed last practice. At this point, there’s no clear reason for his absence, but if he can’t go on Saturday, Dan Jackson is likely to get a ton of playing time. Detroit would be wise not to subject Avonte Maddox and Chuck Clark—the two projected Week 1 starters—to too much playing time, leaving just Jackson and Aamaris Brown to play for the remainder of the game.
Jackson seemed destined for a four-core special teams role last year before a preseason injury derailed his rookie season. And he’s so far down the depth chart right now that he needs a standout preseason performance to work his way back into the conversation.
