Detroit Lions 53-man roster projection after the first preseason game

The Detroit Lions opened their 2024 preseason with a 14-3 loss to the New York Giants last Thursday night. After a couple days off they'll return to practice at Allen Park on Sunday, and start to prepare for the second preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Aug. 17.

The first week of padded training camp practices and the lead up to the preseason opener have driven some changes to the 53-man roster projection we had going into the first week of padded practices. Injuries and disappointing performances have changed the equation in some spots, with the concern level for depth at a couple spots very real.

After Week 1 of the preseason, here's a new 53-man roster projection for the Lions.

Detroit Lions 53-man roster projection after Week 1 of the preseason

Quarterbacks (2)

• Jared Goff
• Hendon Hooker

To channel former NFL and college head coach Dennis Green, Nate Sudfeld is "who we thought he was." Which is best reflected by 37 regular season pass attempts over eight seasons thus far.

Dan Campbell made it clear it would be an equal competition between Sudfeld and Hendon Hooker to be Jared Goff's backup, and Hooker's growing pains opened the door to keeping three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster. An outside addition would keep that possibility in play, but Sudfeld made it clear with his performance against the Giants he should not be on the roster.

Hooker flashed his potential in a quarter of action against the Giants, before leaving with a concussion. He finally started to separate himself from Sudfeld in the competition, so hopefully he's not going to miss much time.

Running Backs (4)

• Jahmyr Gibbs
• David Montgomery
• Sione Vaki
• Craig Reynolds

Vaki was one of the offensive bright spots for the Lions against New York, showing raw instincts as a runner. Reynolds started the game, and his all-around utility pushes off whatever previous roster bubble conversation there might have been before.

Wide Receivers (5)

• Amon-Ra St. Brown
• Jameson Williams
• Kalif Raymond
• Daurice Fountain
• Isaiah Williams

Donovan Peoples-Jones has faded big time here, following a lackluster run all offseason with basically only seeing action late against the Giants. The undrafted rookie Williams made an impression in the game, even highlighted by Dan Campbell as someone who stood out, with four catches for 35 yards and averaging 28 yards per return on two kickoff returns.

Depth here beyond the top three is iffy, if only from an experience perspective. An addition of some sort could come, and it seems certain Brad Holmes has his eyes open for who is or may eventually be available.

Tight Ends (4)

• Sam LaPorta
• Brock Wright
• Shane Zylstra
• Parker Hesse

Hesse has made a good impression so far, and according to Pro Football Focus he lined up in the backfield for eight snaps against the Giants. James Mitchell is a tough cut here, but the Lions can't wait on his perceived potential very much longer.

Offensive Line (10)

• Penei Sewell
• Taylor Decker
• Frank Ragnow
• Kevin Zeitler
• Graham Glasgow
• Colby Sorsdal
• Giovanni Manu
• Dan Skipper
• Kayode Awosika
• Christian Mahogany
  

A couple season-ending injuries (Netane Muni, Connor Galvin) have thinned the depth options here. Headed for a redshirt rookie season, Manu will make the 53-man roster. Fellow rookie Mahogany has been on the NFI list with an illness, so his status is tenuous with an uphill climb to get acclimated. Michael Niese, with center and guard utility, is a dark horse here but I just couldn't quite get to keeping him.

Roster Tally: 25

Defensive Line/Edge Rushers (9)

• Aidan Hutchinson
• Alim McNeill
• Marcus Davenport
• DJ Reader
• Josh Paschal
• Mehki Wingo
• Brodric Martin
• Levi Onwuzurike
• Kyle Peko

The versatility of some of the Lions' defensive lineman, and Derrick Barnes getting some work in practice as an edge rusher, allows for going a little light on pure edge rushers here. Peko gets a spot based on familiarity with defensive line coach Terrell Williams, and he somewhat surprisingly didn't play against the Giants.

James Houston suffered a knee injury against the Giants, which may have impacted what was a lackluster performance compared to some others he's competing with (Isaac Uwku, Nate Lynn). But the effort to make him into a complete player is not going very well, pushing him toward the roster bubble fairly quickly.

Reader's status for Week 1 feels uncertain as he works his way back from a torn quad tendon. But if he's only going to miss a game, or maybe two, it won't make sense to put him on the PUP list and have him miss four games.

Linebackers (5)

• Alex Anzalone
• Jack Campbell
• Derrick Barnes
• Jalen Reeves-Maybin
• Malcolm Rodriguez

The Lions are in a good spot here, with five guys who could all take defensive snaps and perform well if necessary. Malik Jefferson and Ben Niemann both played well against the Giants, which may make this a conversation to keep six linebackers down the road.

Cornerbacks (6)

• Carlton Davis
• Terrion Arnold
• Amik Robertson
• Ennis Rakestraw
• Khalil Dorsey
• Steven Gilmore

Emmanuel Moseley's unfortunate injury opens up a spot here, and narrows the competition for a big role a bit. Robertson and Rakestraw both looked good against the Giants, with the rookie Rakestraw seeing lots of action after a strong run to start padded practices. Some roster projections elsewhere have Kindle Vildor in and Dorsey out or on the bubble, but I prefer Dorsey. Gilmore edges into the CB6 spot.

Safeties (5)

• Kerby Joseph
• Brian Branch
• Ifeatu Melifonwu
• C.J. Moore
• Brandon Joseph

Brandon Joseph had a nice interception against the Giants, as he continues to build his case for a roster spot. Frankly, the proverbial final spot in this 53-man projection went to him.

Specialists (3)

• PK Jake Bates
• P Jack Fox
• LS Scott Daly

Bates restored faith in him with a 53-yard field goal in adverse weather conditions against the Giants. Some might say his status is still tenuous, with a bad kickoff right after that field goal, and another kicker may be brought in to get through the rest of camp and the preseason. Daly will have to hold off undrafted rookie Hogan Hatten in the long snapper competition.